I'm A Slave For You
by jehszs
Summary: The world is now a dark place and Hermione is no stranger to loss and pain. But when she's called for slave duty by the Malfoy family she'll discover there's more ways to be tortured than with a wand...could love just become the greatest torment? HG/DM
1. The Slave

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter not mine. Enjoy!**

--

Hermione stared down at the letter in disbelief. The owl had arrived several minutes earlier, but she was still staring at the words written before her, somehow hoping that they would change.

_Number 0012,_

_You are required immediately at the Malfoy household._

_If you do not report for servitude within one hour of this letter we will forcibly remove you._

It had no sender's name, but that was expected. Why would they grace a mudblood like her with such manners? It had already been twenty minutes and Hermione knew she had better start packing what little belongings she had before someone turned up for her. The letter said an hour, but you could never guess what those sick bastards would do. Anything for a torture these days.

And that's how it had been for the last two years. The war was over, and the enemy had won. Voldemort had killed Harry during the summer before their sixth year when he had stupidly ran away from his aunt's house. Hermione had known that the death of Sirius had affected him but she thought he was old enough for some sense…obviously not.

He had doomed them all. Upon returning to platform nine and three quarters, Hermione had found it crawling with Death Eaters just waiting for them, and they had all walked right into their trap like tiny ants about to be squashed beneath their feet. So many people had died that day - Hermione shivered at the memories that never ceased to erupt from within her - and others had been taken away to become slaves. She would never forget what the Death Eater had said to her.

'_You're our property now.'_

And that's how it had been ever since. Along with hundreds of other young witches from around the world, Hermione had spent the past few years living in this disgusting camp. She'd had it easy really - almost every day they would watch in horror as one of their friends was dragged off by the Death Eaters, simply to be used for their pleasure. So far Hermione had made it under the radar, and spent all her time carving wands out of the trees they were forced to cut down from the surrounding forests.

As they had been told on their first day, the more wands that the Death Eaters had, the more muggles they could torture. Hermione hated herself for what she was forced to do…she hadn't heard from her parents since that day at the station and had no idea if they were still alive. In some ways she almost wished that they were dead. It was a better alternative.

Every night she and the girls that she stayed with would sit by the tiny fire and tell stories of their times at school and home, as if wishing for it hard enough would make it real. Lavender Brown was there too and there wasn't a single night that Hermione hadn't lied awake listening to her best friend cry herself to sleep.

Most nights went by this way, but if they were unlucky the Death Eaters would choose their little camp for some fun. Drunk and high off their own power, the men would laugh to each other as they preyed on the girls one by one. Hermione had been forced to kiss so many disgusting, old men that she couldn't keep track anymore. Their beards would sting like wire being scratched across her soft cheeks and their tongues would push inside her mouth like giant worms, wiggling about for their reward. She had had scabby hands crawling beneath her clothes, feeling her breasts and creeping into her underwear. She was lucky though. Lavender had been made to do much worse.

'Hermione, what are you doing?'

Lavender had appeared suddenly in the doorway of their tent, cracking through Hermione's thoughts. She dropped the pile of wood that she had been holding and hurried forwards to snatch the letter from her friends hands.

'I have to go, Lavender,' Hermione said quietly, 'I've been chosen.'

'Oh, God. The Malfoys!' Lavender scrunched the letter in her hand and hugged Hermione tightly.

'I have to go.' Hermione whispered, a tear running down her cheek.

'Will you come back?' Lavender stepped back and Hermione saw that the other girl had tears on her own face. She shook her head.

'I don't know.'

The truth was she did know. No girl that had been taken had ever returned. If Hermione was going into slavery for the Malfoys, who were one of the most powerful families around and infamous for their hatred of mudblood, she doubted she would even last til the end of the day.

--

**A/N: Short chapter, but believe me there's more to come... What did you think?**


	2. The Master

'Mudblood! I said mudblood!'

Hermione sighed. She had only been at the Malfoy manor for an hour and already she had heard that word hundreds of times, usually directed at her.

'MUDBLOOD!' Narcissa Malfoy screeched at her.

'Yes?' Narcissa pointed her wand at Hermione as she sat scrubbing the tiles on the floor and a searing pain pierced her cheek.

'Don't you dare talk to me like that!' Narcissa hovered above her in rage as Hermione gingerly felt the blood dotting her cheek.

'Sorry…My Lady.' she answered as politely as she could while trying not to grimmace, using the name she had been instructed to call her new mistress with.

'That's better.' Narcissa purred, 'You know, I think you're making the floor dirtier with your mudblood filth. Go down to the kitchen and start on my dinner. But make sure to wear gloves, I don't want to catch illness off a disgusting little tart like you.'

_Lovely, _Hermione thought, but she said nothing as she got up and headed towards the door that Narcissa was pointing at. It lead to a steep staircase that went down into the darkness, and Hermione could hear the distant scampering of tiny feet.

As she made her way down the stairs as carefully as she could, she wiped the blood from her cheek sourly. So far, she had been forced to kneel in worship as Narcissa told her all the rules of the house, with a few insults thrown in here and there. Then she'd been set to work with scrubbing the tiles with a toothbrush while Narcissa stomped about her in staggering heels.

Thankfully, Hermione had yet to see either of the Malfoy men about. Surely Lucius would be even worse than his wife, and not so kind with on the punishment side. But Draco she was most dreading seeing.

As if her own thoughts were conspiring against her, an instantly recognisable voice suddenly floated up to her from below.

'Honestly, if you bloody elves work any slower I'll have to have you all whipped again. I asked for that steak a full two minutes ago!'

_Oh, god. It's him!_

Hermione suddenly reached the bottom of the stairs with a stumble and as she grabbed the nearby stack of pots and pans to steady herself she felt them give way and come crashing to the floor around her. When the noise had finally died down the only sound left was that of Draco Malfoy as he sat on a throne-like chair, laughing coldly at her.

'Very good, Granger!' was all he could muster to say as he clapped. The sound resonated off the walls and chilled Hermione to the bone. The house elves that had gathered around smiled uneasily as if they didn't dare to disagree with his humour as they rushed forwards to help her pick up the pots.

'Stop, all of you!' Malfoy suddenly commanded, and each elf froze in their tracks.

'Get back to my food. Granger, pick up that mess you just made.'

Hermione gritted her teeth and stayed where she was. Malfoy smirked.

'_Now, _Granger, or you'll find out the hard way that the Malfoy men are not as kind as the women.'

Grudgingly, Hermione bent over and began to replace the stack that she had ruined, her cheeks burning in humiliation and shame.

'Granger, where are you manners? You are to call me "Sir" at all times, understood?'

'Yes…Sir.' she mumbled furiously.

'No, actually, I would prefer Master. Alright?'

'Yes, Master.' Hermione finished her job and stood up, avoiding his gaze. She wanted nothing more than to get away from him as fast as she could. Malfoy stood up and slithered towards her.

'I'm disappointed in you mudblood. I thought you of all people would put up more of a fight.'

He towered above her and Hermione had to strain her neck to look into his face. His cold grey eyes were filled with laughter, but it was far from inviting.

'I don't waste words on those too weak and too stupid to comprehend them.' she spat at him. Expecting him to rear in anger, Malfoy instead laughed again in her face.

'Granger, come to my room tonight at midnight. If you're late…I'll find you.' he strode past her and made for the stairs but she wasn't ready to be such a willing slave.

'No.' he stopped in his tracks and turned back to her.

'Excuse me?'

'Fuck you, Malfoy.'

Finally, he looked angry. He walked back towards her and reached out so fast she didn't even register that he had grabbed her wrist until he bent it up painfully.

'Listen, Granger. I summoned you to my home expecting you to have some bite. I'll take great pleasure in breaking your spirit. But if you dare speak to me like that again…'

'You'll what? Set your mummy and daddy on me?' Hermione winced even in her own head at her daring but it was too late to take it back now. His eyes flashed dangerously and he licked his lips. Hermione felt a shiver pass over her as he leaned towards her. She could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek.

'I could do much worse…' he whispered into her ear. She gulped slightly and he stepped back again, a look on his face that she couldn't comprehend. He looked…_hungry._

'Now you will _meet me_,' he squeezed her wrist tighter and she gasped in pain, 'in my room tonight. Understood?'

'Yes.' she mumbled, unable to look away from his eyes.

'Yes what?'

'Yes, Master.' he let go of her wrist suddenly and Hermione fell back a few steps. As she stared at him in pure loathing his eyes slowly left her face and travelled down her body, taking in every curve of her figure. His eyes lingered over her breasts and he smirked. Hermione felt her cheeks burning and crossed her arms quickly.

'Midnight. Don't be late.'

--

_So. _Hermione was pacing around the gloomy kitchen, stirring a bowl of gravy with a giant wooden spoon. _So. It was Malfoy that summoned me. But why would he do that?_

It had been several hours since he had left her in the kitchen and although it was still bustling with house elves she was lost in her own world. Nothing eventful had happened since, except for the occasional ringing of a horrendous series of bells that were set in the wall above the sinks. Apparently, each bell was for a different elf and depending on the number of times it rung - once for Lucius, twice for Narcissa, three times for Malfoy - they were required immediately at the side of that person. From the number of bells upon the wall Hermione wondered why they even needed her; evidently they already had far too many servants.

_Why would Malfoy ask for me? And more importantly, why do I have to go to his room later?_

So many possibilities filled her head that she didn't want to stop to think about a single one of them. Surely he would have some form of torture for her? Probably a whipping, like he had done to the house elves…that sounded like something he would do.

_As long as he doesn't talk about Harry. Anything but that. I don't think I could sit there and not try to kill him if he said anything about H-_

'MUDBLOOD!' Narcissa's shrill scream echoed down the stairs and Hermione dropped the bowl she had been mixing in shock.

'Shit!' she whispered as the hot liquid splashed over her feet.

'Don't worry, miss! We is to clean it up for you!' a nearby elf squeaked as she bent at Hermione's feet.

'Oh, please don't!' Hermione said hopelessly. She couldn't stand the way the elf was bowing beneath her.

'MUDBLOOD! GET UP HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!'

Shaking the worst of the gravy off her feet, Hermione jogged up the stairs as fast as she could. She arrived panting at the stop and found herself face to face with her new mistress.

'Insolent!'

Narcissa was glaring at her so fiercely that Hermione wanted to run straight back down to the kitchens. Narcissa pulled out her wand and in one movement Hermione found herself bending over in a low curtsey, her body acting against her own will as a funny tingle spread through her body.

'That's better. Now, go to the dining chambers and set the table for us. There will be twelve of us tonight,' she grinned nastily, 'Draco invited several friends over to celebrate your new…_position.'_

Hermione clenched her fists and had to bite her tongue to stop from saying something rude.

'Yes, my Lady.' she quickly headed for the dining room, not wanting to be in the company of a Malfoy for a second longer than necessary.

So now she would have to endure a whole room full of past enemies laughing at her. _Great, _Hermione thought sarcastically as she picked up the pile of gleaming silverware that sat in the middle of the long table. _This day has turned out just great._


	3. The Traitor

Her eyes were closed. She had drifted off after having to stand in the side chamber to the dining room for the last three hours as the Malfoys and their guests had dinner.

At first she had listened at the door, wondering what they would talk about. But the Dark Lord's name hadn't come up once, and Hermione had to remind herself that even if she did hear something, she had no way or no one to tell it to.

She was slowly sliding her back down the wall, her eyes fighting to stay open, when suddenly the door was blast open and a roar of laughter and chatter reached her ears. She quickly stood up and saw almost every head at the table had turned to look at her. Malfoy sat the closest, his wand pointed at the now open door.

'Mudblood, come out here. I believe you know my friends?' he said it in a sing-song voice, his eyes dancing in malicious laughter. Hermione grudgingly stepped into the room and looked around to see who she recognised. To Malfoy's left was Vincent Crabbe - _of course_ - and to his other side was Gregory Goyle. _Not much has changed then. _

Next to Crabbe Hermione just recognised Theodore Nott, and again next to him was Blaise Zabini. On the other side of Goyle was someone Hermione had been desperately hoping, but expecting to come across here: Pansy Parkinson. The dark haired boy that she sat next to had his back turned to her and she couldn't see any further along the table to make out the rest of them.

It was Pansy who first recognised Hermione.

'Granger!' she shrieked, pointing wildly at her as she roared with laughter. The boys all joined in as they too understood and Hermione glared daggers at Malfoy for subjecting her to this.

'Don't be shy, say hello to my friends.' Malfoy pointed his wand at her and again she had that tingling sensation as her mouth opened on its own accord.

'Hello.' she heard herself say. The whole table roared with laughter again and Hermione felt her cheeks burning.

'Draco, it's priceless! However did you find her?'

Pansy was still shaking with laughter. Hermione couldn't help but smirk as she noticed a large slice of carrot was stuck between her teeth.

'Norfolk told me about a fuzzy haired little know-it-all that he had met at the camps one night. I knew straight away who it was, of course.' there was another chorus of laughter.

'Granger, you remember Norfolk don't you?'

Hermione quickly searched her memory.

A rough pair of hands grabbing her in her sleep. She was screaming, kicking out at her attacker. He was dragging her out until they were beside the fire and the dim light revealed his hard, weathered face. He was grinning down at her and half his teeth were missing. Then his hands were everywhere - beneath her ragged dress, pulling it over her waist, his fingers digging beneath her underwear and touching her most private place. He was rough, not caring about her in the slightest.

She felt her face pale and could almost feel his heavy hands around her waist.

'I take it that you know him…well?' Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her and again the table was laughing, jeering at her. She stared at him, hating him so much. He stared right back, his gaze full of self-important and superiority. It was cruel that he was so good-looking. His true ugliness didn't shine through.

'Draco's talking to you, whore!' Pansy purred the last word, delighting in her newfound power over an old rival.

'What a piece of filth.' Zabini regarded her contemptuously, taking in the dirty dress she wore.

'She's probably crawling with disease.' Nott joined in as Crabbe and Goyle nodded stupidly.

'Of course she is, she's a mudblood!' Pansy was back to shrieking. 'She'll rub all her filth off onto us! You should whip it out of her, Draco.'

'It's alright, Pansy.' Malfoy said soothingly, but his eyes glittered in a way that Hermione didn't like at all. She took a step back, hoping he wouldn't stop her if she tried to leave.

'Ah, not so fast. I have someone else for you to say hello to...'

Malfoy's eyes were positively gleaming now. She looked behind her nervously, but the doorway was empty behind her. _Please don't let it be Voldemort, _she begged silently.

Malfoy's grin widened. He stood up and gestured towards the dark haired man sitting next to Pansy, who was still deep in conversation with an old wizard that Hermione didn't know.

_That's not Voldemort…is it?_

Pansy hissed something into the stranger's ear and sat back in her seat, watching Hermione carefully. Slowly, the man turned to face her and as recognition sank in Hermione let out a loud gasp.

'I believe you also know…Seamus Finnigan?'

Seamus regarded Hermione with a cold sneer that was nothing like the fun, free-spirited boy she once knew. He nodded, as if confirming to her that he was real. He opened his mouth slowly to speak, and to Hermione his teeth seemed to resemble fangs.

He was _bad_. Seamus grinned.

'Oh yeah. We go _way_ back.'

--

Hermione was still shaking. She was back in the kitchen, washing the dishes all by herself. She didn't know where the house elves had got to, but she was glad for her solitude. Tears ran down her face as she cried for the past, mourning for the death of a once charming and loving boy.

_How had he become this?_

Hermione couldn't understand it. Had he been a traitor all along? Was he under a spell?

Again her head was racing with possibilities that she didn't want to think about. She glanced up at the clock over her head. _Eleven forty-five._

She was due in Malfoy's room in fifteen minutes. Earlier, she had no intention of going but now she wanted answers. Picking up the topmost plate waiting to be cleaned, Hermione studied her reflection in its silver surface.

Her eyes were red and heavy bags fell beneath them. Her long eyelashes framed the sad eyes that she was so used to. Her usually white cheeks were pink and her lips were red and swollen from a whole day's worth of biting them. She sighed as she pushed her curls out of her face. Her hair hadn't been frizzy in a long time. All that back-breaking labour back in the forests had made it almost lifeless. Hermione always thought that her hair was a reflection of how she felt on the inside.

'Miss?' Hermione jumped in fright as an elf appeared out of nowhere at her side.

'Sorry miss, but Mister Malfoy sent me to take you to his room!' the tiny elf held out his hand for her and she took it gently. Her soft spot for elves had not changed over the past few years. If anything, she loved them more than ever after finding out for herself what it was like not being free.

'Sorry I scared you, miss.' he squeaked, looking up at her uncertainly. She smiled.

'You don't have to apologise to me…uh?'

'My name is Rag, miss.' Hermione raised her eyebrow.

'Is that your real name?' the elf had lead her up to the first storey and she hadn't even noticed.

'No, the Malfoys said that my name was stupid and I is better off called Rag because that's what I am.' the elf seemed unsure of his words. Hermione frowned.

'What's your real name?' Rag looked around nervously before pulling her closer to whisper in her ear.

'My name is…Flopsy.' he seemed delighted to have the chance to say it.

'That's a lovely name, Flopsy.' Hermione smiled at him encouragingly but he quickly shushed her.

'You is not supposed to say it! Don't let them hear you!'

They continued on in silence, Flopsy suddenly acting very nervous. Hermione couldn't help but gaze in awe at the mansion's beauty. They had made it to a pure white marble staircase when Flopsy stopped.

'The third floor is Mister Malfoy's.' he whispered, gazing up fearfully. There as a gloomy looking corridor at the top of the stairs that was dimly lit with torches.

'Where's his room?' Hermione looked down, but Flopsy was already hurrying away.

'You'll know when you see it, miss!' he squealed as he ran, not even looking back over his shoulder.

Slowly, Hermione began to climb the staircase. It was cold and hard, each step sending an echo across the hall that she had just left. When she reached the top the first thing she noticed was that the torches were in the shape of curled serpents, their mouths open wide where the flames escaped. Their eyes were glittering emeralds and Hermione rolled her eyes at their extravagance.

There were several doors that led off to the sides, but Hermione's eyes were drawn to a pair of double doors at the very end of the corridor. They were black, and the shimmering torchlight reflected off them in an eerie fashion. That was definitely it.

It didn't take long before Hermione was right in front of them, preparing herself to knock. She quickly closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

_Please, let me be okay._

And with that, she reached out and slammed her fist three times against the dark wood.


	4. The Interrupter

She hoped that her knocks sounded angry, because that's what she was. And scared.

The doors slid open smoothly and the room inside was barely lit. She stepped inside and the doors quickly slithered closed again with a slight hiss as they sealed shut. Hermione stood where she was, unsure of what to do. All that she could see was the floor right where she was standing. It was a dark, polished wood. The whole atmosphere was creepy…of course.

'Granger.'

Malfoy's low voice floated out of the darkness from straight ahead. Suddenly a brilliant light filled the room and Hermione almost had to shield her eyes against it. As her eyes began to adjust, she let herself openly gaze around the room. The walls were made of the same shiny black surface as the doors, yet in the dazzling overhead light from an old looking chandelier Hermione could have said they were any colour of the rainbow.

The chandelier was the only source of light in the room. It was dripping with diamonds and emeralds, sending a shimmering ghost of green light upon everything beneath it. The wall across from where she stood was almost completely glass, a balcony just recognisable on the other side. There was a giant bed made with black and white sheets to her left and a long, ebony desk to the right. The rest of the room was relatively bare except for occasional dottings of furniture- a chair here, a table there.

Everything looked perfect and exquisite, but Hermione couldn't look away from the window before her. The dark night revealed an almost full moon, its pale body surrounded by stars. It was beautiful.

'Granger.'

Hermione jumped. She had almost forgotten why she was here. She looked back to the desk to see that Malfoy was sitting before it, leaning back in his chair. He was watching her with a satisfied smirk.

Hermione opened her mouth to pour out all the frustrations that had built up since dinner - how_ dare_ he do that to her? Why was Seamus there? Was he a Death Eater? Was he under the Imperius Curse? And _why_ had he done that to her? - but she couldn't find the words.

Malfoy rose from his chair and slinked towards her like a predator in the jungle. He stopped when he was less than a metre away so that Hermione had to strain her neck to look up at him.

'I-'

'Did I say you could speak?' Malfoy cut her off smoothly as she finally found the strength for words.

'You-'

'Granger, hold your tongue.'

'I don't want-'

'Silence!' Malfoy roared at her. Hermione jumped and felt a tear of shock spill from her eye.

'Dear, dear.' Malfoy was smiling again as he reached out to wipe the tear away.

His hand was warm as he cupped her face but his thumb scraped painfully down her cheek and Hermione couldn't help but flinch at his touch. She tried to move away from him but he held her still, forcing her to look up at him.

'Did you enjoy dinner?' he asked her, his lip curling. 'Well?' he shook her slightly.

'No.' she whispered. To her dismay, her voice was shaking and she could feel the tears forming in her eyes. From Malfoy's growing smile she knew that she was crying.

'Didn't you like seeing all your old friends?' this time all Hermione could do was shake her head.

'But they liked seeing you.'

'Only because I'm your slave!' Hermione spat out, sick of his little game.

'Yes, you are.'

Malfoy grinned. His other hand reached out to hold her other cheek so that she was trapped between his fingers. 'All mine…'

Hermione didn't answer as his fingers gently increased their pressure, squeezing her head tightly.

'And my first order is for you to stop crying right now.' Hermione tried, breathing heavily and she struggling to gulp in air.

'_Stop crying right now!' _

Malfoy's voice was much harder and he held her so tightly she let out a moan of pain. He let go of her in disgust and strolled away. Hermione massaged her cheeks and quickly wiped away her tears, ashamed that she had acted so vulnerable in front of him.

'You need to learn some obedience, Granger. I should whip you like I do the elves…'

_I knew it._ Hermione had been prepared for this.

'…But I won't.'

Malfoy stopped his pacing and stared at her hungrily. She didn't know if it was good or bad that she wouldn't be whipped. Did he have some torture even more horrible waiting for her?

'I'm going to go outside. Pour me a glass of whiskey and bring it to me.' He gestured towards a cabinet against the wall that was full of bottles. Hermione looked at him in confusion. _Is that all?_

'_Now_, Granger!' he pushed open a pair of glass doors that Hermione hadn't noticed before and walked out onto the balcony, where he disappeared into the darkness. Hermione felt behind her for the door handle and then remembered that there was none. She had no escape.

So she went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a heavy bottle of whiskey. For a moment she contemplated the idea of running outside and cracking it over Malfoy's slimy, fat head. But she knew better than that…she'd heard stories in the camps about what had happened to slaves who had tried to escape and it sure wasn't pretty. While all their stories had been equally unique and disgusting, the one thing they all had in common was the fact that each time they had tried to take their master's wand, a powerful electric shock had coursed through their body, leaving them twitching on the floor, close to death.

She found a shelf full of glasses and poured a generous helping of the fiery liquid into the first one she picked out. She left the bottle on top of the cabinet and carefully carried the glass outside.

Hermione was again struck by the beauty of the sky and couldn't help but stare at it. To her slight surprise, Malfoy was doing the same thing. He was leaning against the railing, gazing out to the heavens. Hermione wondered what his face looked like right at that very moment.

Suddenly, he turned around sharply as if he had sensed her presence and strode forward to snatch the glass rudely from her hand. He downed almost half in one breath and sighed deeply in what Hermione could only guess was happiness.

_How strange it is to see him happy without somebody else being hurt._

'Would you like some, Granger?' he suddenly asked, almost daring her to say yes. She shook her head in disgust. She had tried a sip in Hogsmeade once with Harry and R-

_Don't think about them, _she told herself quickly.

'I want you to have some. Go pour yourself a glass.' Hermione was again surprised but did what he said anyway. Why would he waste his precious alcohol on her?

She retrieved a glass for herself and poured the smallest amount possible inside. She returned to the terrace and stood just outside the door, not wanting to go near Malfoy. But Malfoy was having none of it. He marched over to her and took the glass from her hand, holding it up to her mouth.

'Drink up,' he said as he forced the whiskey down her throat. Hermione had to tilt her head back to stop it from pouring all over her and she choked as she felt the hot liquid burn her throat. He didn't stop until the glass was empty and then proceeded to do the same to himself with his own glass.

Hermione could feel the alcohol sieging through her already and she remembered with a sinking feeling that she had not had the chance to eat since she stole a slice of bread from the kitchen at around lunch time.

'I think I could do with some more, Granger. Bring me the bottle,' Malfoy ordered, clearly unaffected by his glass of whiskey. Hermione went back inside and carried the still heavy bottle of whiskey out of the room. She had a feeling that by the time she was released it wouldn't be heavy any longer.

'Fill them both,' Malfoy commanded as she reached for his glass. She unhappily filled her own and grudgingly took a sip as he glared at her. Malfoy nodded in approval and pulled out a chair from a small table that was nearby, sinking into it with a satisfied sigh. He rested a foot on his other knee and sank down further into the chair as he downed his second glass in only one take.

'Drink!' he barked at Hermione as he replaced his own glass on the table. He snatched the bottle from her hand and poured another glass for himself, watching her all the while. She slowly lifted her glass and drank as much as she could without gagging.

'More,' Malfoy motioned her to keep going as he did the same. Regretfully Hermione finished off her second glass and felt her head spin as she tried to put it on the table.

'That feels better, doesn't it.' It wasn't a question. Hermione ignored him, but as he opened his mouth, surely to order her to have another glass, she decided to cut him off.

'What would you like me to do for you?' she asked as politely as she could. Malfoy smirked.

'You can start with a massage, since you offered.'

Hermione gritted her teeth at his satisfied tone and nodded silently. Malfoy stood and picked up the whiskey bottle. He held it up to his mouth and had one more unhealthy helping before starting back inside. Hermione grabbed the glasses off the table and followed, replacing them quickly inside the cabinet. When she stood she was hit with such a dizziness that she almost fell and needed several deep breaths before she felt normal again.

_You can do this, _she told herself.

'Granger, I'm waiting…' Malfoy purred from the bed. Hermione turned and had to steady herself again as she took in Malfoy's form - he had taken off his shirt and was now barefoot. His feet she didn't even glance at, but his chest…

_Why is the world so cruel? _she wondered as she took in his rippling stomach and flawless chest. Every tiny section was perfectly contoured and Hermione could watch him breathe as his barrelled chest rose and fell gently. A light smear of hair started on his lower stomach and disappeared out of sight.

'Granger.' Malfoy sounded amused. Hermione blushed deeply and looked away. When she looked back Malfoy was lying on the bed, his back waiting for her. Hermione watched his shoulders ripple as he pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it towards her. Startled, Hermione jumped for the hundredth time that day as a heavy bottle of oil appeared out of nowhere in her hands.

'Let's see what you can make of my back.' Malfoy smirked over his shoulder at her as he put his head down against the pillows. Gingerly Hermione sat down, repulsed at having to sit on the bed where Draco Malfoy sleeps. _And god knows what else._

Hermione was used to massaging Lavender - it helped get her to sleep. The girls at the camp had come to consider her somewhat of an expert. So after she had rubbed plenty of oil onto her hands, she wasn't surprised to hear Malfoy let out a low moan as she began to run her hands up and down his back. His skin was perfect but his rough muscles made it hard to keep up the pace.

Before long Hermione's hands were aching and she had slowed down considerably. Malfoy didn't seem to have noticed and had his eyes closed, his face turned towards her. Every now and then he let out a throaty moan and his smirk remained plastered on his face.

Hermione could feel her head beginning to ache and her thoughts were becoming slurred as the effect of the whiskey worsened. It seemed like forever before Malfoy slowly rolled over and she could stop. She quickly stood up, not wanting to be too close to him, and tried to dry her sticky hands on her dress.

'That was pretty good for a mudblood,' Malfoy said calmly as he stood and went for the liquor cabinet. Hermione would have been annoyed, but she could tell from the way he had been moaning that he was lying. Malfoy poured himself a new glass of whiskey and sat down in his desk chair. He leaned back and raised one eyebrow at Hermione.

_What?_ she felt like saying. But instead she said, 'Haven't you had enough?'

She recoiled slightly, expecting him to blanch and throw the bottle at her head. _Which would be a good way to get out of her…unconscious. But then again I wouldn't trust him with my unconscious body._

He smiled at her obvious discomfort and beckoned her over with one finger. Hermione didn't want to go near him again but her feet seemed to start walking before she had decided in her mind what do to. Her head was beginning to pound from the whiskey. When she was a metre away, Hermione stopped.

'Do you know why I summoned you, Granger?' Malfoy asked suddenly. She looked at him in confusion and guardedly shook her head. Malfoy's eyes slowly left her face and travelled down the length of her body, then back up to her face. His mouth began to form a sneer.

'No ideas at all?' he asked. Hermione shivered at a sudden thought that came to her head. The way he was looking at her confirmed what she was thinking.

'Come here…' he commanded softly. Hermione took another step forward, but wasn't sure why she was obeying him. Malfoy's sneer grew bigger. He opened his mouth to issue his next command when suddenly the doors slid open and in walked-

'Draco!' Pansy swayed into the room and stopped when she saw Hermione.

'Mm?' Malfoy answered uninterestedly, his eyes still wandering freely over Hermione's body. Pansy's eyes narrowed as she stared at Hermione but her next words were directed to Malfoy.

'Want to go for a swim?'

Malfoy finally seemed interested in her and turned in his chair to take in her appearance. Much like he had just done to Hermione, his eyes travelled up and down her body. Unlike Hermione, however, Pansy seemed to enjoy this. Hermione could tell that she had donned her impossibly short skirt just for the occasion.

'Yes, yes I do.' Hermione wanted to be sick at the sound of his oily voice. Malfoy stood and grabbed the almost empty whiskey bottle before wrapping his arm around Pansy's waist and heading for the door.

'Oh, and mudblood,' Malfoy paused and looked back at Hermione with distain. 'You will stay and clean every surface that you touched, including the floor. I don't want to catch a disease from your mudblood slime.'

Pansy smirked at her over Malfoy's shoulder and they left, the door staying open this time. Hermione breathed an enormous sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn't said anything about coming back tomorrow.

Slowly she got to work, wiping the floor lazily. What would Malfoy know if she cleaned it or not? And besides, her head was still spinning. She was desperate to get to bed. After almost half an hour of slow, sluggish cleaning Hermione heard a sudden laugh from the garden below and crept onto the balcony to investigate.

Silhouetted by the light of the moon, two figures were clearly visible in the dark water of the lake. They were naked, and Hermione had no doubt about who they were…

Pansy shrieked with laughter again as Malfoy caught her in his arms. Suddenly their bodies moved closer and the laughter stopped. Hermione couldn't tell where his body began and hers ended. As a chorus of low, soft moans began to float up to where she was hidden, Hermione decided she had seen enough.

Feeling even more sick than before, she left his room as fast as she could.

--

**I decided to spare Hermione a little bit longer. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, i'm updating just for you guys. Please let me know what you think!**


	5. The Prankster

_Everything was dark. She was running through the deserted streets, screaming for help. Blood trickled down her face but she had no time to stop. Her robes were torn and her wand was dangling uselessly at her side, snapped in two._

_She could see it up ahead - The Burrow. It stood tall against the surrounding trees and there were no lights shining through the dark windows. She began to run harder, ignoring the stitch in her side._

_Please let them be okay, she thought desperately. I'll do anything for them to be okay._

_Panting distraughtly, she reached the top of the last hill and stopped dead in her tracks at the beginning of the long drive way._

_What had just seconds ago been hidden by a towering oak was the sign Hermione had been dreading seeing all night long. The green skull glowed above her, taunting her in its wake. She let out a terrible, piercing scream and fell to her knees._

_No, it couldn't be. This couldn''t be happening._

_A sudden bang echoed from the silent house before her. She looked up and heard a familiar yell, followed by a deafening crash._

_Ron! Hermione got to her feet and sprinted towards the house. He's still alive, there's still hope…_

_But as she crashed her way into the kitchen Hermione was stopped in her tracks by the horror sight before her. The walls were gleaming with red, and on the floor was-_

Hermione awoke with a terrified scream, reaching for her wand. But then she remembered where she was, and what had happened. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, she wiped her face on the sheets, scrubbing away the few tears that had managed to escape.

_It was just a bad dream, _she told herself. _It's not going to change what happened._

It was a night that rarely visited Hermione in her sleep, but when it did they were the worst moments of her life. She could still feel the stitch in her side, like a dagger, and deafening silence of the town. But more than that, she could remember the walls…the walls…they were like a beautiful, twisted piece of art. If asked to, Hermione was sure she could paint it exactly, right down to the last, bloody drip.

She shivered. _Don't think about it. Don't think about it._

To take her mind away from the worst memories of her life, Hermione got up and made her bed. She needn't have bothered - it looked just as scrappy and uninviting as before. Turning away from it, she left her tiny room and made her way through the dark tunnels of the basement until she found herself in the kitchen. Mercifully it was empty, so Hermione set to work making herself the best breakfast she could - a couple of eggs and pancakes might just cheer her up the tiniest little bit.

When she was full, Hermione decided to test her nerve and venture up stairs. While she was here she may as well make the most of it and find out exactly how big this manor was. Maybe she could even sneak her way into the library…she hadn't touched a book for years and she missed it almost as much as she missed her friends.

When she reached the hall Hermione climbed the marble stairs to the first floor and looked both ways down the corridor. She didn't dare venture up to the second floor - it was too close to Malfoy, and she would be damned before she willingly wandered into his clutches.

Sudden footsteps told Hermione that she was about to have company. Dashing behind a nearby suit of armour, she held her breath and waited to see who it was.

Narcissa came teetering out of a door to nearby and, giggling, glanced up and down the corridor before reaching for somebody's hand and dragging them into the hall with her. Hermione's jaw dropped.

It was Blaise Zabini, Draco's friend. And by the looks of it, he was Narcissa's friend as well…in fact, they looked a bit more than friends.

Still giggling, Narcissa tugged Zabini down the corridor, neither of them glancing in Hermione's direction, and down the stairs. Hermione inched back towards the landing and peered down to watch as Narcissa opened the front door and Zabini stepped out to leave. Before closing the door, Narcissa grabbed him around the neck and pulled him in for a fierce kiss. They pulled apart, and Zabini winked at her before Disapparating. Narcissa closed the door behind him and stalked off, a satisfied smirk plastered on her face.

Hermione sank down the wall, still unable to believe her eyes. Narcissa, Draco's mother, and Blaise Zabini? Hermione couldn't fathom it - a woman who had everything, who practically owned the world, was cheating on her husband with her son's best friend. What was the world coming to?

But Hermione knew the answer to that. And she didn't want to think about it.

Deciding she'd seen enough for one day, she returned carefully to the kitchens and set to work alongside the elves, thinking heavily about what she'd seen and what she'd dreamt, her mind unable to wrench either of the unsettling events from her mind.

--

Hermione had a terrible day to follow her terrible morning as she was set to work in the gardens, trimming the endless hedges to perfection. It was a tiresome job, but nonetheless she was enjoying the sunlight - something they saw rarely at the camps.

It was nearing dusk before she was disturbed for the first time all day. A loud grunt from the other side of the hedge made Hermione jump out of her skin, and when she peered over the top, holding her shears ready to attack, she saw Malfoy lying on a lounge chair, fast asleep.

_So, the little creep had slept outside, had he?_

Hermione crept towards him, careful not to wake him, and it took every ounce of her self control not to reach out, pull down his pants, and snip off his-

Malfoy let out a loud snore and Hermione grinned. For the first time in years, she was going to have some fun. Abandoning her shears, she picked up the bucket full of clippings and emptied it onto the ground. Then, quietly, she snuck over to the pool and filled it with icy cold water. Approaching Malfoy carefully, Hermione took a deep breath, and poured the bucket over his head.

Malfoy woke with a startled yell and fell to the ground, where he writhed about, trying to shield himself from his unknown attacker. Hermione dropped the now empty bucket and doubled over in laughter, unable to contain herself at the sight of him drenched from head to toe, looking like a startled deer.

'GRANGER!' Malfoy roared, and Hermione stopped laughing quickly. She tried but failed to keep a straight face as Malfoy struggled to his feet, but as he lunged towards her the laughter died on her lips.

'You - little -' Malfoy tugged her by the arm and Hermione whimpered as he strode towards the pool.

Before she had even caught up with him, Malfoy had swung her with all his might and she flew through the air, landing with a loud splash into the freezing water. She emerged with a desperate gulp for air, but Malfoy had jumped in after her and putting his hands on the top of her head, he forced her back under the water. Hermione struggled uselessly, running out of air fast, but Malfoy held her there. When her lungs had begun to fill up with water, and her arms began to give up their fight, he released her and she bobbed up to the surface.

'Next time you won't be so lucky,' Malfoy growled, climbing back out of the water, dripping wet in his now ruined pants.

Hermione massaged her scalp, gasping for breath. Whatever he did to her, the look on his face when he had woken up had been the best memory she had of the last two years.

--

**Hehe, suffer Malfoy... what did you think of the little twist with Narcissa and Zabini? I thought i could have some fun with them...**

**jasmine-leigh, I added in the start just for you because you asked what happened to Ron, you'll find out the rest later though.**

**Reviews are always welcome and loved!**


	6. The Punisher

**Wow, your reviews have been amazing i just couldnt get away from my computer!**

**WARNING: I just wanted to warn you that this chapter is a little bit violent and although it's not that bad i just wanted to let you know because it creeps me out a little bit..**

**A few of you have been asking if Hermione and Malfoy are going to get together or not, and the answer is yes, of course! It's not going to happen overnight though, because I want to stay true to the characters and it annoys me in stories when they just wake up and Draco's a good little boy and they're in love and married etc. It's going to happen, though, don't worry :)**

**VesperAgain, first of all thanks for taking the time to write my such a long review, and i completely agree with you. Yes, Hermione is a little bit crazy, but I mean who wouldn't be after what she's been through. I added in the bucket scene because i wanted to show that she's still got her nerve and she's not ready to give in yet, as stupid as that may seem. Also, Draco told her himself that he had chosen her because he wanted to break her spirit personally, so I think that he would be happier in a way that she's rebelling against him, it's more fun for him... I think that Hermione would keep fighting at least for a little while, but you're right thinking that she doesn't know the full consequences of her actions. Hopefully, this chapter will put the story back on its creepy path because it is a lot darker than anything so far.**

**Anyway, i hope you like it and please tell me what you think!**

--

Hermione should have known that it was too good to last. Later that night, just when she had been about to crawl into bed after having worked her little fingers to the bone all day long, there was the deafening sound of bells ringing from the kitchens. Hermione hurried from her tiny cell and to the kitchen just as the third chime ended - three for Draco…

Looking up to see who's bell had been ringing, Hermione was horrified to see that a shiny new bell had been added to the collection, with one gleaming word beneath it: _Mudblood._

_Shit, _Hermione bit her lip in a sudden panic. _I knew I wouldn't get away with it that easily._

For almost a full minute Hermione stood on the spot, debating with herself whether or not she should go - if she did, she would undoubtedly be tortured. But if she didn't, she would be anyway, and probably much worse. Hermione reached her decision and began to climb the stairs back up to the house, resolving that at least if she went she would be doing it on her terms, not waiting for him to hunt her down.

As she reached the third floor several minutes later, the silence of the house seemed to suddenly strike her - it had settled around her, engulfing her, and she didn't like it one bit. It was more than creepy - it was just _evil._

Knocking tentatively on the glistening black doors, Hermione set her face determinedly. She would not apologise for what she'd done, that she was sure of. The doors slid open and she stepped in just as she had done the previous night, only this time with an air of defiance about her. But when the doors had closed behind her, and Hermione's eyes had sufficiently adjusted to the lighting of the room, the scene before her sunk in and she let out a yell of fright.

'What are you doing!' she shrieked at Malfoy, who stood opposite her, a terrible smile across his face.

Hanging from the ceiling before him on long, thick chains, were three tiny, trembling house elves. Their feet were dangling several feet from the ground, their arms stretched grotesquely above their heads as the metal chains suspended them in mid-air.

'Did you really think your little stunt today would go by unpunished?' Malfoy asked her coldly. As Hermione started forward to try and help the elves down to the floor, he unleashed a whip from behind his back and cracked it loudly against the hard floor. Hermione jumped and froze.

'Why are you punishing them, they didn't do anything!' she said, shaking slightly in her rage and fear.

'I know you too well, Granger. I decided that a much more satisfying punishment for you would be watching me punish the elves for _your_ stupidity.'

Hermione let out a wail and raced forwards, rattling the chains desperately.

'I can't let you do this!'

'Too late, Granger. You should have thought of that before you woke me up.'

The elves watched Hermione helplessly as she continued to shake their chains, achieving nothing.

'Don't worry, miss! We is happy to take our punishment!' one of them squeaked. But if he thought he would make Hermione feel better, he was very much mistaken. Losing her nerve completely, Hermione darted passed the hanging elves and threw herself at Malfoy. But Malfoy was ready for her, and with one swat of his arm she landed heavily on the floor.

Taking out his wand, Malfoy aimed it at Hermione and she went flying across the room, where she was pinned against the wall by an invisible force. Try as she might, she couldn't move an inch.

'Maybe this will teach you a lesson, Granger,' Malfoy said, shaking his head in mock sorrow as he raised his whip high above his head.

'MALFOY, DON'T!' Hermione screamed, struggling with all her might to pry herself from the wall. But Malfoy ignored her and as his whip flew through the air, Hermione turned away - she couldn't watch.

A shrill yell told Hermione that Malfoy's aim was good, and she let out a whimper. She had never felt so helpless in her life, and she had never felt so much guilt. This was all her fault. Malfoy sure was a clever son of a bitch - he had known just how to cause her the most pain.

'I'M SORRY!' she roared, throwing her promise to herself to the winds.

'Oh, you aren't now…but you will be,' Malfoy said in a dangerously silky voice, raising the whip again.

The whipping continued, the elves' grunts of pain becoming fainter and fainter as they came close to passing out. Hermione kept her eyes tightly shut, several tears of anger and fear dripping down her face. After twenty long, painful minutes, Hermione spoke in a tiny voice.

'Please stop!' she begged him, 'Hurt me instead!'

Malfoy paused, whip in mid-air, and smirked. He seemed to be considering her.

'You know what, I think I will. These pathetic creatures aren't so fun once the life's almost out of them.'

Hermione chanced a look at the elves and felt her stomach turn. They were hanging, unconscious, blood and bruises covering their tiny bodies. She let out a moan of pity.

'How could you?' she asked him, but again he ignored her as he approached her, wand drawn. Hermione suddenly felt herself being wrenched away from the wall and she struggled to keep her footing, trying to keep Malfoy in eyesight as much as possible.

'Over there,' he ordered, pointing towards the foot of his bed. Hermione backed towards it, her eyes never leaving the whip dangling from his hand. When the backs of her thighs met the wood, she stopped.

'Turn around.' Hermione hesitated. When she'd said it, she hadn't really thought about what this would feel like. Could she handle it? There was no backing out now…she had to do it for the elves…

Slowly, reluctantly, she turned around.

'Bend over.'

Gulping apprehensively, Hermione leaned forwards the smallest amount possible. And then, without warning, Malfoy brought the whip down onto her back, instantly tearing through the fabric of her clothes and ripping an ear-splitting scream from her throat.

'AHHH!!' Hermione stumbled forwards and her arms went out to stop herself from tumbling onto the bed, but she barely had time to compose herself before the whip hit her again, tearing through her skin.

'Take it, mudblood,' Malfoy roared, bringing the whip down for a third attack. Then in quick succession, it came down harder, again and again. Hermione screamed in unimaginable pain, her back was surely about to break, she couldn't hold on to consciousness much longer…

'Please stop!' she cried hopelessly. And to her amazement, he did. Stalking away from her and opening his liquor cabinet, Malfoy poured himself a glass of whiskey as Hermione tentatively clambered off the bed, wincing in pain with every step.

'Take down your friends and get out of my sight. You've been punished enough…for now.'

Hermione didn't have the strength for words, she wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Malfoy as possible - particularly while he still had the whip in his hands. As quickly as she could, and as best as her bleeding body would allow, she unchained the elves and helped them to their feet. They were barely conscious, but they seemed to sense her fear, for they hurried as much as they could to leave the room.

Hermione paused in the doorway. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to take one last look at this appalling monster who had once been just a mean, little boy. Malfoy was facing the window, running his hands across his face.

Hermione felt a strange feeling in her spine that was nothing to do with the blood dripping down her back. For someone who had just tortured his slaves for a little bit of fun and entertainment, he sure didn't look very happy with himself.

--

**Poor house elves, Draco's really outdone himself this time and he sure has Hermione figured out :( So i guess Hermione's learned her lesson now... at least you'd hope so! What did you think? Review review!**


	7. The Endurer

**i got really great feedback for the last chapter so thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, they're always welcome and very very loved :)**

**now this chapter isn't as bad as the last one but i'll warn you anyway that there's some more whip whip happening.. and maybe the reappearance of a dirty traitor and the good old whiskey bottle! enjoy!**

**--**

Hermione didn't wake up until the next evening. She groaned in agony, every muscle aching, and then she suddenly realised that someone was sponging the cuts on her back with a warm cloth.

'Lavender?' she muttered groggily, rolling over carefully.

'No, miss, it's Flopsy!' squeaked the elf, smiling at her reassuringly. 'You is been hurt quite badly, miss!'

Hermione closed her eyes and moaned as she remembered the events of last night.

'The other elves, are they okay?'

Flopsy's ears flapped and he nodded.

'They is doing fine, miss. We fixed them up straight away!' Hermione let out a sigh of relief and sat up slowly, testing her feet to see if they were working alright.

'Miss, you should rest!' Flopsy said nervously, holding up a bloody cloth. Hermione shook her head.

'Please call me Hermione. And I can't rest, I have to apologise to those elves.' She stood up but Flopsy followed her out of the room, looking agitated, and down the dingy tunnel to the kitchens.

'Please, miss, there's no time! Master Malfoy requested that you go to his room as soon as you woke up!'

Hermione stopped dead and Flopsy ran into the back of her legs with a small squeak. Slowly rounding on him, Hermione's jaw quivered in fear.

'Draco's room, you mean?' Flopsy nodded, looking apologetic.

'Please, miss, you must hurry or he'll whip me again.'

Hermione felt a terrible guilt flooding through her veins and nodded determinedly. She set off once again for the third floor, Flopsy accompanying her. Hermione couldn't help but notice a large scar running across the back of his neck and sudden comprehension dawned on her about why all the house elves were so scarred. She felt a quiver of hatred unlike anything she'd ever felt building up inside her.

_I'm going to kill that sick bastard. _

All her fear, all her panic from the horrors she had endured from the previous night seemed to vanish as she as overcome by an unsuppressed rage. It was boiling her blood, recharging her batteries, and she didn't care what punishment lay ahead of her. All she cared about was inflicting as much pain as possible to this disgusting creature who had never felt pain before in his life. Had Hermione been given a moment to think and calm down, she would have changed her mind. If there was one thing she had learned from the camps, it was that thinking irrationally only got you into trouble…bad, bad trouble.

But as she stormed her way up the stairs, all of her old indignation on behalf of house elves came flooding back to her. It was something that she hadn't thought about in years, as if it had been completely erased from her memory after two years of being told only to remember,_ 'You're our property now.'_ And it was more than that…suddenly remembering her old S.P.E.W. campaigning made her think of Harry and Ron, and for once this didn't scare her. It seemed to give her strength, like they were urging her on. _Although, _Hermione should have realised, _they wouldn't have wanted her to go picking a fight with Malfoy when she was in such a hopeless situation._

But Hermione didn't pause to think about any of this, she just plunged on down the corridor recklessly. After all, Malfoy had told her himself that he had only chosen _her_ because he wanted to break her spirit…well, she was going to give him one hell of a spirit to break.

Flopsy said goodbye to her at the top of the stairs and ran all the way back to the kitchens while Hermione stomped down the rest of the corridor right to the end. Again she knocked on the cool, black doors, this time with her fist. She didn't stop banging until the doors opened and she almost fell forwards.

Malfoy was lounging on his bed, reading a book, but he looked up when she stormed in and his eyes glinted maliciously.

'I see I still haven't managed to break you,' he remarked, taking in the look of fury on her face. But he didn't look angry - _yet_ - and Hermione knew she had been right in thinking that the more she resisted him, the happier he would be.

'You are a sick, perverted, evil, foul, stinking piece of shit!' she screamed, looking wildly around for something to throw at him. Her eyes fell on the liquor cabinet and she remembered how heavy that whiskey bottle was - _perfect._

She started towards it but Malfoy waved his wand lazily and she found herself suddenly stuck to the floor, unable to move her feet.

'Stop it!' she yelled. 'I'm going to kick your ass!' Malfoy laughed as he stood up and approached her. Still in a fury, Hermione swung at him with all her might, but he stood just out of her reach and continued to laugh at her until she tired herself out and settled down.

'Are you done?' he asked her, yawning obviously. Hermione spat at him in reply. She missed, but Malfoy slapped her anyway. Her cheek aching along with her still tender back, Hermione grew silent, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself. _This is not going to end well._

'We will continue your punishment from last night,' Malfoy said quietly, pacing back and forwards before her. 'You will come here every night until you are ready to obey me.'

Hermione felt the panic rising inside her again, that had minutes ago been stifled by her anger. She didn't think she could take any more, not after last night…

But she still wasn't ready to give in to him. Stupid though she knew she was being, practically inviting him to torture and kill her, Hermione didn't care. She just couldn't give in to him, not yet anyway. It went against everything the old Hermione stood for - bravery, daring, loyalty - to who at this point, she wasn't sure.

But as Hermione reflected sadly to herself, she didn't have much to live for anyway - there was no chance of escaping from the manor, and even if she did she had nowhere to go - her parents were dead, her friends were dead…she supposed she could go into hiding, but what good would that do? She would never touch a wand again if the stories from the camps were true, and how could she even try to bring down the Dark Wizarding World without one? Besides, she was just one girl. She may as well live - or die - for herself and for herself only - except for the occasional house elf, of course. Maybe she was a little crazy…but after everything she'd seen and heard, who wouldn't be?

So instead of screaming and begging for mercy like she wanted to, Hermione sneered.

'Punishment? I was enjoying myself,' she said daringly. Malfoy smiled a cruel smile at her.

'That's the spirit I'm going to whip out of you, Granger. Now, over to the bed.'

He waved his wand and Hermione's feet were free to move again. She glanced at the liquor cabinet - it was nearby, maybe she could make it-

'Don't even think about it, mudblood.' Malfoy had seen where she was looking and pointed his wand at her again, forcing her to walk to the bed. Hermione refused to turn her back to him and stared at him defiantly.

'Would you rather I whip your front?' Malfoy asked, his eyes travelling down her chest. 'It would be a pity to waste it, though…'

Hermione blushed furiously and crossed her arms over her chest as Malfoy laughed at her.

'Turn around.' he ordered.

'Make me.' Sighing, Malfoy raised his wand again and Hermione felt her spine bend as she was forced to her knees. Malfoy strolled over to her and pulled the long, black whip out of the loop on his pants. Just as he was raising it above his head, the doors slid open.

'Malfoy, I have a letter for yo-' it was Seamus Finnigan. He stopped when he saw Hermione and his eyes lit up.

'What was that, Finnigan?' Malfoy asked casually, as if he had been caught in the middle of something completely normal - _which, for him, this probably was, _Hermione reminded herself. Seamus grinned cruelly at Hermione as she glared up at him.

'Don't let me interrupt,' he said, holding out his arms in apology. Taking the seat by Malfoy's desk, he crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back, looking utterly content. Hermione couldn't believe this was the happy, laughing boy she had once known. _What had they done to him?_

'Where was I?' Malfoy mused, scratching his chin. 'Oh, yes-' he brought the whip down on Hermione's back and she bit her tongue so hard it began to bleed. She was determined not to scream in front of Seamus - she wouldn't give the dirty traitor the satisfaction.

'Good day?' Seamus asked Malfoy over Hermione's head, as if they were having a chat over coffees.

'Not bad,' Malfoy answered just as casually. 'Went over to Ireland, tortured a family of muggles.'

'Nice,' Seamus said, grinning.

'Seamus!' Hermione gasped, unable to stop herself. She couldn't believe her ears - Seamus was laughing at the torturing of his own people! He had always been an avid Ireland supporter in Quidditch…now it was clear that he didn't give a rat's ass about the whole lot of them.

Malfoy hit her again with his whip and she shut her mouth.

'Did I say you could speak? _Well?_' Hermione shook her head quickly, her eyes still on Seamus. She wanted to make him feel guilty for everything he'd done. But he stared back at her, unfazed, clearly enjoying her torture.

'Had enough yet, mudblood?' Malfoy asked, towering over her.

'Not by a long shot,' she spat, still glaring at Seamus. Malfoy shrugged at Seamus, puzzled, and whipped her again, harder. He wanted to hear her scream.

'As I was saying, I have a letter for you,' Seamus continued as if there had been no interruption.

'From?' Seamus glanced at Hermione, and deciding that she was no threat, went on.

'Your father.'

Malfoy threw down his whip and started forwards to snatch the letter from Seamus' hand. He read it quickly, and as Hermione watched she noticed some of the colour drain from his face. Now that Hermione thought about it, she hadn't seen Lucius Malfoy once since arriving at the manor. Malfoy finished his letter and scrunched it up in his fist.

'Why didn't he tell me this in person?' he asked in annoyance. Seamus raised his eyebrows.

'I didn't ask,' Seamus got to his feet. 'This will take some planning, Malfoy. Let's get started.'

'Fine,' Malfoy barked, looking disappointed as he glanced back to Hermione. 'Leave now!'

Hermione got to her feet and left, wondering what they were up to, why she had managed to get so lucky, and if there was some way she could find out…

--

**hmm, interesting! what did you think?? seamus is so so evil...you dont even know the half of it yet ;)**

**also this will be the last update for a few days because im going away for a night or two, and im meant to be studying for exams anyway...but dont worry, ill be back soon, i just cant keep you waiting! xx**


	8. The Degrader

**ok, next chappy! thanks to everyone who reviewed once again, please keep it up its all that makes me want to update so quickly :)**

**now, another WARNING!! this chapter is also a bit violent but in a different way to the previous ones...a bit more adult content but not happy stuff :( i think draco may have hit an all time low this time, but what can i say? he can only go up from here!**

**tigerlily3489, thanks very much for your review, i took into account the things you said and the little scene in this chapter with the house elves is especially for you :) and also there will definitely be more of traitorous seamus...later though**

**quite a few ppl have been saying theyd like to see a chapter from draco's POV. that doesn't quite fit into the story yet, but his thoughts and feelings etc will start to show very very soon!**

**Everyone please enjoy and review!!**

--

One week later, Hermione Granger's spirit was definitely beginning to show the cracks.

Every night that week Hermione had been forced to return to Malfoy's room at exactly midnight, and each night she had been whipped to within an inch of her life. The mornings were the worst, where she was forced to rise early to help prepare breakfast, her back stinging. The elves had been more help to her than she deserved, cleaning out the deep cuts and healing them as best as they could. But what good was it when Malfoy opened fresh wounds every night? Quite frankly, Hermione was getting bored of it. And as each night passed by, Hermione could feel her spirit and her nerve ebbing away, disintegrating slowly and leaving her lonely and hopeless.

Meanwhile, Seamus had barely left the manor since the night he had intruded upon Malfoy's fun. The two of them were up to something, for sure, but Hermione was kept so busy she didn't have a chance to eavesdrop at all. Narcissa also had been more active than usual lately, although her activities mainly involved sneaking around with Zabini behind Draco's back.

Hermione thought Malfoy must be stupid not to have noticed them, but he was evidently too preoccupied with his father to care. This suited Narcissa fine, and Hermione had been unfortunate enough to come across her and her toy boy in many different rooms… _and_ positions. So far, Narcissa hadn't seen her. And Hermione was grateful for this, otherwise she would be dead - Narcissa wouldn't risk having her around if she knew her secret in case she went running to tell Draco or Lucius. But Hermione wasn't that stupid. So after the fourth time she came across them, looking very busy indeed, Hermione learned to listen carefully before venturing anywhere.

As she caught only glimpses of Malfoy during the day, she began to wonder what was going on between him and his father. Obviously there was a lot of tension there, but it was hard to tell considering that Hermione hadn't seen Lucius once the whole time she'd been there. And now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard any of the bells in the kitchens ring only once, which would mean that he was home. Hermione wondered where he was and what he was doing - undoubtedly something very bad. And now little Draco had to help him, or something along those lines…though he didn't seem too happy about it.

Hermione remembered vividly the look on his face when Seamus had announced the letter was from Lucius - it had been a look of fury and annoyance that Seamus had obviously been in touch with his father when he himself didn't seem to be. Hermione knew that Malfoy was working hard not to please Voldemort, but really to please his own father.

'Miss, this is for you!' Hermione's thoughts were shattered as she looked down to see a tiny female elf holding out a large plate of food for her. She had been standing at the sink, her hands immersed in soapy dish water, staring absentmindedly at the wall. Now she dried her hands and took the plate gratefully.

'Thank you…sorry, what's your name?' she asked kindly, sitting down on the floor to eat. The elf sat down across from her and her ears flapped as she leaned forwards to whisper.

'I is hearing from Flopsy that you calls him his real name?' she said curiously. Hermione nodded, her mouth full of food. When she had swallowed, she spoke.

'What's your real name?' she asked the elf, smiling encouragingly. The elf leaned even closer.

'It's…it's…_Minky,_' she looked just as delighted as Flopsy had to be able to finally say her name and she let out a nervous little giggle as Hermione smiled at her.

'Well, Minky, thank you for the food. Can I get _you _anything?' Minky's eyes suddenly became very bright.

'You is too kind, miss!' she squeaked, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. Hermione quickly patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.

'Please don't cry, Minky, and please call me Hermione,' Minky nodded, her big round eyes staring at Hermione.

'You know…some of the elves is saying…they is saying that you is bad!' she squeaked, and Hermione glanced around to see the other elves nearby watching her nervously. 'They say you is causing us harm!' Minky was looking at her fearfully now, and she seemed ready to run as if Hermione was suddenly going to pounce on her. Hermione shook her head.

'I'm sorry to say that it's true, Minky. I did cause you harm.'

'But…why, miss?' Minky asked, astonished.

'I disobeyed Malfoy and made him angry,' Hermione said quietly, feeling ashamed of herself again. Minky's eyes widened.

'What…what did you do to Master Malfoy?' she asked excitedly, as the elves nearby came closer to listen.

'I…well, I…I thought it would be funny to pour a bucket of water on him while he was asleep.'

The elves all clamped their hands over their mouths. Minky stared at Hermione for a moment, and then she let out a loud squeal of laughter. Soon, the entire kitchen was ringing with the sound of tiny laughter as the elves fell about, laughing themselves silly. Hermione grinned apologetically.

'No, really, it wasn't that funny…' she tried to calm them down, still feeling guilty, 'Well, it was, but it wasn't worth it.'

The elves eventually fell silent again and stared at her in amazement.

'You is the bravest person we has ever met, miss!' one of them said in awe. Hermione shook her head.

'No, I'm not, if I was brave I would have tried to escape,' she looked around at them all sadly and they nodded in understanding.

'Escape is impossible, miss,' Minky said sadly. Hermione sighed heavily.

'And if I was brave, I wouldn't have let Malfoy hurt you all like he did.'

The elves shivered but shook their heads defiantly.

'No, miss, we is happy to take punishment for you! You is our hero!'

As Hermione stared around at them all, taking in their wet eyes, she found that she was crying herself.

'Do you…do you like to…to hug?' she asked them hesitantly. They looked at each other and back to her, smiling.

'We has never been asked before…but we would be honoured!' one of them said. Hermione held out her hands, and more than a dozen elves came rushing into her arms. As Hermione clung to them like a child, the tears flowed freely from her face. She hadn't been touched in a kind way for a long, long time.

--

On the seventh night of her torture, when Hermione very reluctantly entered Malfoy's room, he was sitting at his desk writing furiously on a piece of parchment. He barely looked up when she walked in. After a minute, however, he raised his face and sniffed loudly.

'You stink, mudblood. More so than usual,' he drawled, regarding her with disgust. Hermione knew that she smelled bad - she had been forced to spend the remainder of the day in the garden, planting white roses by the hundred. The soil had smelt like cow manure…which, _duh_, it was, Hermione remembered. Her smell was certainly not helped by the fact that there were no showers down in the basement, and she had been making do the last few weeks with quick washes in the kitchen sink whenever she could manage it. She was thankful that there were no mirrors around - her reflection would surely scare her worse than anything she had seen here so far…

'My bathroom's over there,' Malfoy waved towards a door Hermione had never noticed before. It blended in almost perfectly with the walls. 'Take a bath and get that filth off. Or at least,' he added nastily, 'What _can_ come off.'

_Just ignore him, _Hermione told herself as she nodded and made a slight curtsey - she had learned to become a lot more obedient after a week's worth of torture. She walked hesitantly over to the door, hardly believing her luck. She had to go slowly - after a week's worth of whippings she wasn't able to move so well. When Hermione pushed open the door, again she was impressed by the beauty of the room. In contrast to the black bedroom, the bathroom was a brilliant white. Another giant chandelier hung directly over a tub bigger than Hermione had ever seen, and she couldn't believe her luck as she turned on the sparkling silver taps.

_Why is he letting me use his bathroom_, she wondered. This was the first kind thing he'd done for her, if you could call it that. He was obviously distracted by something, and Hermione had no doubts that it had something to do with his father. Maybe his mission wasn't going so well…

Taking Malfoy from her thoughts, Hermione shrugged off her disgusting dress and stepped into the bath. It was complete bliss - as the warm water washed over her, she felt a weight lifting off her shoulders. Her cuts seemed to ache less than usual, and she suddenly wasn't worried about what was waiting for her on the other side of the door.

Hermione took her time, washing her hair for the first time in…as long as she could remember. It was luxury, feeling her smooth, wet locks for once instead of the impossible frizz-ball that it had become. She scrubbed at her skin, weeks worth of dirt washing away. And then the lay back and relaxed for as long as she dared.

This was the first time she'd had to just relax since she'd arrived at the Malfoy manor. The house elves never stopped insisting that she needn't help them downstairs, but she couldn't stand by and not, that would make her just as bad as the Malfoy's. It pained Hermione to see that the elves even wanted to serve another slave, just because she was a witch. She liked to help them as much as she could, even though her cooking was nowhere near as good as theirs. So what if Malfoy had got food poisoning every once in a while…

When her skin startled to wrinkle, she decided she better get out before Malfoy barged in on her.

Climbing out of the tub reluctantly, Hermione looked down at her pathetic dress, which looked completely too dirty to be in such a clean, white room. She didn't want to put it back on - she'd be dirty again in seconds. Glancing around, Hermione saw a pile of fresh, clean clothes sitting on a chair.

She hesitated - they hadn't been there before. And they certainly didn't look Malfoy-sized. So they must be for her. She smiled as she mentally told herself to thank the house elves later, as this was obviously their doing. Picking the clothes up, Hermione was slightly disappointed to see that it was another dress - she missed wearing pants. Although, it was beginning to get rather hot these days so a dress would be okay. This one was black and rather more fitting than her last. There were a clean pair of underwear and a bra, though, which Hermione was immensely grateful for. They were plain white, but she didn't care - she wasn't trying to impress anybody.

Slipping the clothes on thankfully, Hermione left her hair damp and left the bathroom, careful to make sure she'd put everything back in place to ensure she gave Malfoy no reason to punish her more. She turned around and saw Malfoy tying his parchment to the leg of an owl, which flew off out the window when he was done. He looked tired and unhappy, but when he glanced over at her a smirk spread across his handsome, weary face.

'Much better,' he said as his eyes took in her entire body, pausing in particular on her damp hair, which hung around her face nicely. Again he paused on her chest, which, Hermione suddenly realised, was slightly more revealed in this dress. She stood, uncertain of what to do with herself and not daring to cross her arms over her chest as Malfoy checked her out freely.

'Um…' she said after a while, for want of anything better to do. 'Are you going to…?'

'Hm?' Malfoy snapped his eyes away from her legs. 'What? Oh, yes, your punishment.'

A wicked smile spread slowly across his face and Hermione shivered, kicking herself. She didn't like that look. Not one bit. _Why did I have to open my mouth?_

'I'm tired of whipping,' Malfoy suddenly stated matter of factly, lounging back in his chair. 'Gets my arm all stiff.'

Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes. _You poor boy. _But her heart was lifting - _no more whipping!_

'I have a different punishment for you tonight…'

The way his eyes were roaming across her body made Hermione feel very uneasy. What new torture did he have in store for her? Was he thinking what she thought he was? His eyes travelled back up to her face and as he stared at her hungrily, Hermione felt her stomach begin to squirm. Her heart was beating fast, hammering against her chest, as Malfoy opened his mouth to issue a whole new command that would haunt Hermione for many weeks to come.

'Get on your knees,' he ordered. Hermione stared at him in confusion.

'What? _Master?_' she added on hastily, not wanting to provoke him. Malfoy's smile deepened.

'Get on your knees,' he repeated slowly, uncrossing his legs obviously.

Hermione felt her stomach lurch as understanding settled in. She shook her head vigorously.

'No.'

'Granger…' his voice was soft, but his eyes were glinting dangerously.

'I'm not doing that,' she said firmly, backing towards the door. Slowly, Malfoy sighed.

'I have my wand, I have my bare hands. Which is it to be?'

'Neither,' Hermione said fiercely. _I will not do that._

'Do you want to be whipped again?'

'I'd prefer it to this!' she spat at him.

'Don't forget what you are, Granger.'

'I'm a human being!' Hermione was shaking._ He was sick, sick, sick!_

'No. You're my slave. And by choice or not, you will obey me,' his voice was so silky that it made her feel even sicker. She wasn't going to give in without a fight, and yet inside she knew that she was going to have to do what he wanted. She glanced down into his lap and could see he was bulging against his pants. She gulped.

'Not that,' her tone had turned from hard to pleading. Malfoy sank back into his chair and smiled contentedly at her. Even he knew that he had won.

'Granger, get on your knees,' he said in a bored voice. But his smile only served to make Hermione angrier and she stamped her foot against the hard floor.

'No!'

'This is your last chance…'

'I - WON'T!' she screamed as loudly as she could. Malfoy didn't seem fazed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand.

'Don't you d -'

Hermione didn't get to finish as he flicked the tip at her lazily and her whole body was thrown forwards. She fell to her knees in a most undignified position between his legs. Raising her head, she watched in horror as Malfoy unzipped his fly and pulled his incredible length out of his pants. Hermione let out a whimper and tried to get up but he held her down by the back of her head.

'Granger, I won't hesitate to use the Cruciatus Curse if you disobey me any longer. I'm growing… _impatient_,' he stroked her wet hair in a sickening manner. Hermione was trembling and she could feel tears building up again.

'_Please…_' she begged. Malfoy sneered down at her, his eyes glazed over with lust.

And then he was pushing her face down, forcing her lips around him. Hermione gagged and Malfoy took the opportunity to push himself deeper. She couldn't gain enough breath to let out a scream and instead uttered a moan as the tears poured down her face. Malfoy was holding her tightly, moving her head back and forwards.

Hermione closed her eyes and willed it to be over with, placing her hands on his thighs to steady herself. Malfoy closed his own eyes and lay back, enjoying her mouth around him immensely. Malfoy felt himself nearing his peak and pushed her head down further. With a low moan, Malfoy could hold on no longer.

Hermione squirmed, desperate to escape from him as she felt a hot syrup reach her tongue. She swallowed in disgust and as soon as Malfoy had released her she was off the floor, doubled over in a coughing fit.

Malfoy was regarding her with a satisfied snigger. He had fixed up his trousers and took a calm sip from his whiskey glass. Hermione couldn't bear to look at him. She was too humiliated.

'Get out,' Malfoy said quietly. Hermione was all too willing to comply as she practically ran for the doors. They opened smoothly for her and she as soon as she had left him Hermione broke into a sprint. She didn't stop until she was all the way back down in the kitchens where the house elves looked around at her in surprise.

'Miss, are you -' Hermione darted by them, tears pouring down her face. She couldn't bear to be with anyone right now. She threw herself onto her bed and cried, feeling a whole lot dirtier than she had before her bath.

--

**ahhh, that was so horrible to write!! I hope nobody was too upset by that, it had to happen though. Poor hermione :( :( what did you all think??**


	9. The Remorsed

**first of all, WOW, thank you so much to all my reviewers i love you all!! i got great feedback for the last chapter and i loved your outrage on hermione's behalf! please keep up the reviewing i really try to take your comments on board cos this story's for you more than me**

**now, this chapters quite a turning point in the story so i hope you like it! i cant say that hermione's punishment is over... draco the dickhead will be back shortly, but for now, something different! enjoy :)**

--

Hermione was so ashamed of what had happened that she refused to leave her room the next day, not even feeling guilty that the house elves were covering for her absence in the kitchens. She had thrown her clean dress into the fireplace and was wearing a plain dress that Minky had made for her out of kitchen rags. It was dirty, but it was an improvement from how dirty she'd felt in the black dress.

She didn't know what to do with herself. She washed her mouth out with detergent, but she didn't feel better at all. In fact, she began to feel distinctly sick and couldn't help feeling that it hadn't been a wise move to swallow a bunch of chemicals.

_No matter what, I'm not going back tonight. He can kill me for all I care._

Hermione was astonished at the wild thoughts that swam through her head, but she couldn't help it. She felt dirtied, impure, and for the first time she felt like the filth that he was always calling her. Although Hermione knew he could have done much worse to her, she didn't think he would even try something like this. What would he want with a mudblood like her when he could have his pick of any woman in the world?

She curled up in bed for the day, pretending to be asleep when an elf came in to bring her food. As funny as it may sound, last night had made her think of Ron. She now missed him more than ever. They had been secretly dating when Voldemort took over, afraid of what people might say. If Hermione knew what she knew now, she would have shouted it from the tallest tower at Hogwarts for the whole world to hear.

_I love Ron, _she should have told them all. _I love him more than anything!_

But they had never told a soul, and she regretted it so badly it made her heart sting. They had never had the chance to grow up and grow old together, to have kids…to be close at all. They had only shared so much as a secret kiss here and then, and that's as far as it had gotten… she wished more than anything that Ron was with her now, to save her from this nightmare. He would hold her tight and kiss her, and tell her that everything was going to be okay…everything was going to be okay…

_Oh, Ron. Why did you have to leave me?_

Hermione rolled over, tears welling in her eyes as she thought of her long-lost love. Her only love…

--

_She couldn't move. She stared around the kitchen, her mouth open in a silent scream. Red, red everywhere… and on the floor, clearly dead, was Ginny. Hermione let out a cry of agony and threw herself towards her fallen friend, sobbing helplessly against her lifeless body._

_Sudden footsteps made Hermione look up and scramble to her feet. A tall, hooded figure entered the kitchen, his wand pointed directly at her chest. She was staring at his mask, unable to decipher who it was, ready to die on her feet with no way to defend herself as her broken, useless wand lay on the floor behind her. _

_As the man opened his mouth to kill her, a sudden figure sailed into the room and lunged at him, throwing him to the floor. Hermione looked around for a knife, anything to help, as the two men scuffled over the floor. And as Hermione noticed the orange between the black, the realised who it was._

'_Ron, be careful!' she screamed, as the hooded man got back to his feet, pointing his wand at Ron. Again Ron lunged at him, knocking him back to the ground, and his mask came off, and as a brilliant light flashed through the room Hermione let out a gasp of recognition…_

Hermione didn't wake again until the distant sounds of pots and pans brought her back to consciousness. She was drenched in sweat and had been having a nightmare, but she couldn't remember it.

Yawning, she decided she felt sufficiently better to go back to the kitchens and help the house elves cook dinner…but when she reached the large room she found that they were making breakfast.

'Feeling better, miss?' one of the elves squeaked as she stirred a bowl of pancake mix.

'Isn't - isn't it dinner time?' she asked uncertainly. Surely she hadn't made it through a night without having to see Malfoy?

'No, miss, you is sleeping for a long time. You is asleep for two days.'

Hermione's heart leapt. Two torture-free nights? Had Malfoy grown tired of her? Had he decided that he had done his worst, and it was time for a new slave? Hermione couldn't believe that she had made it through two nights without him calling for her.

Hermione fried a dozen eggs, relief coursing through her so heavily that it made her smile, something that she didn't think she'd be doing ever again after her last encounter with Malfoy. She spent the morning cooking meal after meal, even after the Malfoy's had finished, and the elves were delighted as she served _them_ a warm breakfast for once.

'You is too kind, miss!' they squealed, their ears waggling in delight. Hermione smiled at them. She still felt horrible after what Malfoy had done to her, but feeling that it was all over seemed to take away most of the pain.

'If any of you ever want anything, please ask me,' she said earnestly to the surrounding elves. They looked overjoyed by her kindness and Hermione felt a wave of pity for these poor, uneducated creatures.

'What…what we would like, miss…' one of the elves had stepped forwards nervously, glancing around at his comrades.

'Yes?' Hermione sat down so that she was level to them and looked at him expectantly.

'What we would really like miss…would be to know a spell!' the elf whispered, looking terrified but excited. Hermione thought for a moment.

'Well…I can't actually show you anything without a wand. But -' she cast her eyes around and saw a box of matches lying nearby. She smiled as she thought of the old blue flames she used to conjure for herself, Harry and Ron on particularly cold days at Hogwarts. Then Hermione remembered something her father had taught her long ago - a little magic trick, he used to call it, with a wholesome chuckle.

'Watch closely,' Hermione instructed the elves as they sat down before her excitedly.

She grabbed a large pot, the box of matches and several detergents from the sink. After studying the different labels, Hermione poured half of the largest bottle into the pot. Then, striking a match, she threw it in theatrically. Immediately, bright blue flames erupted inside the pot, lighting her face with its cool flames. The house elves gasped in amazement and began to clap.

Hermione grinned at them, her face looking eerie as blue light danced across her skin.

'Abracadabra.'

--

Hermione passed the rest of the day in a happy daze, though as night fell she began to feel distinctly nervous again. Was it really over? She sat in the kitchens, watching the bells out of the corner of her eye, but hers didn't ring once. Ten o'clock…Eleven…Twelve…

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, but she was struck with a new curiosity. Why wasn't he calling for her? By one o'clock Hermione was nervous again, wondering what was going on. Was he planning something? Was he with Seamus again, plotting to kill thousands? Maybe they had made the breakthrough they needed and were out right now destroying hundreds of lives…

She couldn't sit by and not know what was happening. Ignoring her brains screams at her to stay where she was and keep out of trouble, Hermione decided she would do some exploring. Pocketing a small knife in case she ran into trouble, Hermione crept up the stairs and into the silent hall.

She made her way stealthily up to the third floor and was half way along the corridor when she heard a faint noise coming from a door to her right. It sounded like someone was humming softly to themselves. She paused, looking around. The corridor was deserted. And whoever it was didn't sound like they were likely to attack her. Making up her mind, Hermione crept forwards, listening closely.

Pushing open the door, Hermione gasped. Never in a million years did she think she would see this…

The room was dark but for a tiny lamp in the corner. It looked like an office of some sort, but the walls were covered with creepy pictures of what Hermione could only assume were muggles being tortured and dark magical beasts that she had never seen before. But it wasn't the pictures that were so terrifying.

Malfoy was sitting in a low chair, head in his hands, wand at his feet. His hair was standing on end as if he had been running his fingers though it in frustration, and Hermione could see dark blood stains splattering his robes. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and as he let out a sob Hermione realised…he was _crying._

He looked up when Hermione gasped and jumped to his feet. Hermione saw a tingle tear roll down his cheek.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?' he bellowed at her, quickly wiping away the tear with his sleeve.

'I - I was just -' Hermione stammered. But Malfoy was obviously not listening. His face looking quite demented as it was contorted in rage, he picked up the lamp from its table and threw it at her. It missed by a mile but Hermione jumped in fright.

'GET OUT!' Malfoy roared at her, and she didn't need telling twice. Hermione backed out of the room in shock, her eyes fixed on his face.

'S-sorry!' she stammered, leaving before he changed his mind and killed her. She raced back downstairs and flew past the kitchens, instead going outside and sliding down against the wall.

Malfoy. Crying. Malfoy crying. Malfoy crying? It just wasn't possible. How could somebody so cruel, so obviously lacking in any human emotion whatsoever, do something as innocent as cry? Hermione would never have imagined him doing such a thing in a million years, especially after what he had put her through the other night.

That was without a doubt the strangest thing she had seen here so far, Hermione thought as her heart hammered inside her chest, her ears still ringing with his shouts, her eyes still burning, his shocked, defeated face glowing on her retinas.

Maybe he was human after all…

--

**hmmm! i wonder what happened... whta did you guys think??**


	10. The Passionate

**ok, here we go again! im glad youre all so intrigued by my story, i can't tell you how flattered i am :) the story is definitely starting to get a move on now, which you will see when you read on...**

**just in reply to what xcheerios said: hehe yes, in that last chapter i was thinking of beauty and the beast a little bit, especially when draco was yelling at her! thats so funny that you thought of it as well!**

**i wont delay you anymore...enjoy :)**

--

**One Month Later**

Hermione didn't see a single Malfoy for the next month and was beginning to settle down into the routine of the kitchen, almost enjoying herself now that she was Malfoy-free. She had no doubt that Malfoy was avoiding her, too ashamed to show his face…funny how the tables can turn.

She had thought relentlessly about what she had seen. Unable to get the image of that tear rolling down his face, Hermione had come up with a hundred different scenarios to explain it. Had daddy told him he didn't love him? Highly unlikely, because surely Malfoy realised that his father was incapable of love for anybody but himself.

No, what Hermione thought was much more likely was that he and Seamus had finally put to action that secret little mission of theirs, and something must have gone wrong. That had to be it. And that's why he hadn't called her to his room after that night…they were out torturing muggles, killing wizards.

She still couldn't believe it though - Malfoy, crying? It just wasn't right. The man who had inflicted so much pain on her without so much as batting an eyelid. The man who had taken away her dignity in more ways than one. The man who was right in Voldemort's inner circle, who practically owned the world. It just didn't add up.

Hermione tried not to ponder too much on his strange behaviour - she was just happy that she had managed to get away from what she had witnessed without so much as a scratch. The next day she had hidden in the garden, worried that he would kill her for what she walked in on. But it seemed that Malfoy was too ashamed, too embarrassed, to want to see her again.

This suited Hermione fine, though. A month had passed since the incident and although she still felt dirty inside when she thought about what he'd done to her, she was beginning to feel lighter by the days. If this is how the rest of her life would be - cooking and cleaning and planting beautiful flowers with at least some friendly company - then she was luckier than any of her remaining friends.

While the house elves were very kind and helpful, Hermione still missed Lavender and the other girls. She wondered how they were going, if any of them had been taken like she had, and if Lavender had found a new way to get to sleep in the absence of Hermione's back rubs. Hermione could still remember that first day at the camps when she had truly thought that she wouldn't make it through the day…

_--_

_Don't forget - you're our property now._

This was carved into stone at the entrance to the camps. Hermione watched it looming closer as she was marched up the driveway with a whole collection of witches she had never seen before, but all looking just as frightened as she felt.

Without so much as a word, the terrified witches were grabbed by rough looking men wearing dark hoods and dragged off to different campsites. The man that took Hermione was brutal, his fingers leaving bruises on her arm for days afterwards as he pulled her right to the end of the long line of camps, pushing her to the ground.

'Hermione?' Hermione jumped, the noise of speech startling her after so much silence, and turned to see Lavender Brown coiled on the ground nearby. Lavender staggered to her feet and made her way towards Hermione as if she was a ghost. Once both girls had decided that this was real, that the other wasn't about to disappear before their eyes and take away one more sliver of hope, they made their way forwards, not daring to believe their eyes. They hugged each other and in the curtain of hair they cried unashamedly.

'I thought you were dead,' Lavender whispered.

'I'm the only one.'

'Parvati?' Hermione shook her head. 'Neville? Ginny? Dean? Seamus?'

'All dead,' Hermione whispered, her voice barely working. Every name felt like a knife wound to the heart.

'And Harry?' Lavender asked gently. Hermione looked away before answering.

'He ran away from his aunt's house. Voldemort caught up with him.'

'Why did he run away?' Hermione shrugged, the memories still too fresh to give too much thought to.

'Driven mad by grief. Maybe just a build up over the years of everything…'

'Maybe it was just waiting to happen…'

'Maybe. Lavender, let's not talk about him -' but Lavender had broken down already.

'Oh, Harry…' Lavender sobbed, collapsing back onto the ground. Hermione followed her as if in a daze. The tears weren't coming yet. They would. But not yet.

'What happened, Hermione?' Lavender whimpered, clinging to her hand desperately. Somewhere deep inside both girls they dimly registered that from now on they were the only family they had left. As Hermione gazed around the camp, taking in the defeated faces of the women nearby, each as alone as the next, Hermione sighed.

'Hell happened, Lavender,' she said finally. And it was the truth - for as she looked around, seeing nothing but grey and wet, Hermione really believed that hell had opened up for them.

--

While Hermione was now eating and bathing regularly (though still in the sinks, regrettably), she missed the outdoors. She barely had reason anymore to venture into the rest of the house, and no sunlight reached the gloomy kitchen. On occasion, she slipped out into the garden, figuring that as long as she was doing something - pruning, for instance - nobody would stop her. However, she was still careful to avoid the Malfoy's and any of their guests at all costs. She was no more eager to see Malfoy again than he was to see her.

It wasn't until another week had almost slipped by that Hermione's bell finally rang for - who else? - Draco. As far as she could tell, Lucius was permanently away on business and Narcissa was too busy sleeping around with her son's friends to have need of her.

As the bell rang, chilling her to the bone, Hermione felt her old fear creeping back. It was amazing that that's all it took - one more ring, and she was right back where she started. Scared as shit, with no choice but to obey.

With a heavy heart and apprehension, Hermione made her way up to the third floor that night. What had kept her away for so long? Had Malfoy gotten over his embarrassment? Why now?

She knocked on the door, quietly this time, and when the doors slid open she walked into the familiar room. The lights were so dim she could barely see, but Malfoy's voice floated out of the darkness towards her. He sounded as he usually did - cold and sneering. But what had she expected, to find him snivelling and moaning with a box of tissues?

'There's a blindfold at your feet,' he said. Hermione felt around with her foot and found it - it was black and silky, incredibly soft between her rough, dirty fingers.

'Put it on.'

Hesitating, Hermione reached up and tied it around her eyes as loosely as she dared. Immediately everything went dark - she couldn't see a thing.

_What is going on? What the hell is he doing?_

'Come here,' Malfoy commanded, and Hermione took a small step forward feeling very disorientated. She stopped when she heard rustling nearby that sounded suspiciously like clothes being removed - _oh no, not that again-_

'I want a foot massage, a good one.' Malfoy had merely removed his shoe.

Hermione raised her eyebrows beneath the blindfold. _That's it?_

'Now, mudblood.' Hermione knelt down onto the cold floor and he stuck his foot out towards her. She caught it and was surprised by its warmth. Slowly, she began to rub it as best as she could, thankful that it didn't smell.

Malfoy was silent as she worked and Hermione wondered what he was doing. Why was she wearing a blindfold? Was Malfoy really that ashamed of what she'd seen that he couldn't bear for her to look at him? That was the only reason Hermione could think of as to why she was sitting there, blind.

After a while he thrust his other foot at her and she took this one instead, working away for what felt like hours. When her hands were so tired she thought they would drop off, Malfoy's foot recoiled and Hermione sat on the floor, wondering what was coming. But nothing happened, and Hermione raised her face, unseeing, towards him.

'Malfoy?' she asked uncertainly. What was he doing? The silence was creepier than his voice, however mean he was to her.

'What?' he snapped at her. Hermione heard him get to his feet and walk away - _probably getting himself another drink_. And sure enough, she heard the familiar sound of the whiskey being poured into its glass, then silence as Malfoy drank deeply. When he finished, he said nothing.

'Why am I here?' Hermione asked in annoyance. If he was going to call her to his room in the middle of the night, he better have a reason. Her month away from him had definitely brought back some of her old courage. Somehow, after what she now knew, he didn't seem as frightening anymore.

'You're here because I ordered you to be,' Malfoy said calmly, pouring another glass.

'But -' Hermione began, but Malfoy clearly wasn't listening as she heard the doors to the balcony open and his footsteps faded from her ears. She sat uncertainly before his voice called out to her.

'Get out here, mudblood!' he barked impatiently. Getting to her feet, Hermione felt her way across the room. Before she reached the door, Malfoy called again, 'And bring the whiskey!'

Sighing, Hermione turned and felt her way towards the liquor cabinet, picking up the heavy bottle and shuffling outside. She felt Malfoy snatch it from her hands and she stood, waiting for her next order. None came, however, so she simply stood, listening to Malfoy pour himself drink after drink.

_Great, _Hermione thought, _he'll be drunk soon…_

For the third time, Hermione considered cracking the bottle of whiskey over his head and making a run for it. But what good was that - the doors were closed, and she couldn't touch his wand… besides, as much as she hated to admit it, the manor was a lot comfier than the camps, and that's where she'd be heading if she ever left this place. She had nowhere else to go, no family except for Lavender.

'Mudblood!' Malfoy suddenly snapped at her. She shook her head to clear it of bottle-breaking thoughts and looked around in irritation.

'What?'

'Tell me a story.' Another weird order. Hermione wondered exactly how much he'd had to drink as she raked her brain for something to tell him.

'Once upon a time-' she started, but Malfoy cut her off.

'No, you idiot. Something real.'

Hermione stared at what she thought was him through the black fabric, mystified. What had gotten in to him? This definitely could not be classified as normal Malfoy behaviour - Hermione would almost prefer the insults and the whip to this person. It was too weird, too new to her. And after everything she'd been through, Hermione couldn't take much more new stuff. One person can only handle so much weird shit before they break.

_What is wrong with you? _she wanted to say.

'About what?' is all she said. Malfoy paused. He didn't seem to notice her rudeness, luckily for her.

'Tell me about you parents.'

Hermione appraised him suspiciously, but there had been no trace of a sneer in his voice. She sighed and felt her way over to a seat. He didn't seem to be preparing to hurt her, so she was safe for now. Safe from everything but herself - she would just have to block out her own words.

'Well, I suppose you know that they're dead.'

Hermione had no idea why she was telling him this. Maybe it was the blindfold - the darkness made it easier. It almost made it not real. 'They were dentists, though. That means they look after people's mouths,' she added, when Malfoy was silent.

'Tell me about your father,' he said quietly. Hermione thought hard.

'My father? He…he was lovely.' Hermione smiled as she remembered him. He was the kindest man she ever knew, his dazzling smile almost never left his face. He had called her his little magic maker, and every summer when she returned home he had new, crazy magic tricks to show her. The blue flames in the pot had been one of his many ways of trying to keep up with the daughter he loved more than anything.

'How did he treat you?' Hermione's brow furrowed at Malfoy's question.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean,' said Malfoy impatiently, 'What was he like with you?' Hermione frowned.

'He didn't hit me or anything, if that's what you m-'

'No! I mean, what did you talk about with him?' Malfoy's tone was becoming snappy.

'I don't know, everything,' Hermione said exasperatedly.

'Your grades?'

'I guess, yes.'

'Magic?

'All the time.'

'Friends?' Hermione felt her stomach drop. If he said anything about them she didn't think she could stop herself from cracking that damned whiskey bottle over his head.

'Yes, but I don't want to talk about th -' Malfoy barely seemed to be listening to her.

'Your future? Your plans?' he pressed on.

'I guess…'

'You _guess_?'

'I don't know.'

'What do you mean you _don't know?_' he sounded disbelieving.

'I don't remember, okay!' Hermione stood angrily, not wanting to talk about this anymore. It was too painful, even in the darkness. 'Why do you want to know, anyway?'

'I didn't ask you to question me, mudblood,' she had pushed him too far this time. Hermione heard him get to his feet as well several feet away from her, his voice rising. Hermione knew she should stop talking now, but her insides were spurring her on and she went on without pausing to think.

'Just because you have a completely dysfunctional, unrequited love thing going on with _your_ dad -'

'_What did you say to me?_' Malfoy's voice was a deadly whisper, but Hermione plunged on recklessly.

'Oh, come on, as if the whole world doesn't know how fucked up your family is!'

'Say that again,' Malfoy said in the same deadly voice.

'Your dad's not even half of it, you're just so stupid to realise what's going on in your own house!'

'What the fuck are you talking about mudblood?'

'Maybe I shouldn't say, mummy's secrets might scare poor little baby Malfoy!' Hermione felt as if she was watching herself from above, this strange, angry girl who couldn't seem to shut her mouth.

'You dare mock me?' Malfoy whispered.

'Oh, I dare alright. I have a spine, unlike you!'

'How dare -'

'You're such a fucking coward, Malfoy, and you know it!'

There was a moment's silence, and then -

'Shut up, you filthy bitch,' Malfoy said quietly, his voice poisonous. But Hermione wasn't done yet.

'Crying because Daddy doesn't love you-'

'Shut up-'

'Now you can't even _look_ at me, can y-'

'Shut your fucking mou-'

'You're nothing but a sick, dirty cowa-'

'SHUT UP!' Malfoy roared. Reaching out, he ripped the blindfold off her face and Hermione blinked at the sudden light. Malfoy stood close to her, breathing hard, his face furious. But Hermione wasn't scared, and as she looked into his eyes she felt like she was only just really seeing him for the first time.

His hair was a mess, sticking all over the place. His teeth weren't nearly as pointy as she had imagined them to be. And his eyes…there was a flicker of something in between the empty grey that she had never noticed before. What was it?

Malfoy stared back at Hermione, his fury subsiding. Her eyes were boring into him, he couldn't stand it. She looked almost…concerned? No, _curious_… she was biting her bottom lip anxiously, causing it to become fuller and redder. Her cheeks were slightly pink from yelling, and her deep chestnut eyes, staring at him, were glowing with something he didn't understand.

'I'll show you coward,' he growled, his voice suddenly low and gruff.

And with one stride he had closed the gap between them and grabbed her around the neck, crashing his lips down upon hers. Hermione was caught completely by surprise, her eyes still open as she stared at him. But then she let them close and leaned back into the kiss, the first she'd felt in years. Why she didn't push him off, she didn't know.

His lips were rough and hard, working against hers furiously. Hers were soft and untouched, perfect for the taking. Malfoy deepened the kiss, his hands finding her waist and encircling her. Hermione, who had been gripping his arms, slid her fingers gently along his skin until he moaned against her mouth. He backed her against the railing and Hermione jumped as the cold bars touched her skin. Seeming to come to her senses, she pulled back and stared up at Malfoy in alarm. He looked back at her, looking just as bewildered.

_What just happened?_

Wrenching her eyes from his gaze, Hermione stumbled back inside and made for the door. It slid open for her when she reached it, and Malfoy made no move to stop her.

It had been her eyes. They had hypnotised him. Her taunts were ringing in his ears, just daring him to do something. So he had. She had more than hit a nerve - she had pulled out a part of him that he barely remembered he had. The kiss had been completely by accident - it was her eyes…

But as for her... well, Malfoy had no idea why she had kissed him back.

--

**ooooooooo!! very very interesting! even i want to know what happens next and i already know, hehe. what did you guys think?? not too cliche or un-hermione-like?**

**!! ATTENTION: i was just wondering if somebody could please tell me if they recieved their alert for this chappy because my account seems to be acting funny and i don't think it's sent out alerts for my latest updates. id be really grateful if someone would just let me know if they got an alert for this chappy !!**


	11. The Schemer

**Hi guys, here I'm trying to update quickly because i just can't wait to hear what you all have to say about it..**

**first though, thanks to Catherine Chen for pointing out a few typos for me for the last chappy, was much appreciated :)**

**second, a few people may have been a little bit confused by what happened in the last chapter. Yep, when Draco said 'I'll show you coward' that was quite a cliche line to use, like when people say 'I'll show you blah blah' and then they do something really crazy just to prove that they can. That's what Draco was doing. Just like evillizzy89 said, it's human nature.**

**also thanks very much to emma for your constructive criticism i definitely tried to take it on board :)**

**I just want to clear this up because quite a lot of you seem worried about this...this story is not about to turn into a fast-paced romance with walks in the park and picnics. Draco is not about to say sorry and spill all his deepest darkest secrets. Hermione is not about to suddenly realise that she's loved him all along despite his regular torturing of her (that wouldn't be too stuffed up or anything...). There is still bad times to come.**

**REPEAT. STILL MORE DRAMA TO COME. Hermione's torture is not over yet, not by a long shot. It's just going beyond physical pain now. But don't worry...there will be romance. And another Seamus appearance is coming soon, as well as Lucius' grand entrance at last.**

**Sorry i've been rambling a bit...on with the story and bring on the angst!**

--

This has to be a dream. This can't have happened.

_Hermione was walking back to her room in a daze, unsure even of her own name. Had she really just been kissing Draco Malfoy? The Draco Malfoy who had whipped her, abused her, forced her to do unspeakable things…but who had the most amazing lips she had ever kissed? Of course, not that she had much to go by. She didn't count the men who had forced their mouths against hers in the dead of night back at the camps as kisses. They were just one other indignity she'd had to suffer through, and remind herself that they could do a lot worse to her if they wanted. She would always remember their putrid breath, the way their dirty stubble had singed her neck. _

_This has got to be a dream, _she repeated to herself as she climbed into bed. After all, it was nearing dawn. That must be it…she was delusional because she was tired, that's all…

But _why? _If Hermione had thought that her next encounter with Malfoy would put to rest the puzzlement of their last encounter, she was terribly mistaken. First crying…but now, _kissing? _What was wrong with him? Had he actually lost his mind? And more importantly, what was wrong with _her? _Hermione wished more than anything that she could read his thoughts, just once, to see what was in that terrible but beautiful head of his.

And he was just half of it. Hermione didn't know what to tell herself for her behaviour. Was she mad at herself for kissing him? Yes. Was she surprised at herself? Definitely. This was Draco Malfoy. Draco Ruined-Her-Childhood-At-School-By-Calling-Her-Names-And-Now-Had-Complete-And-Demented-Control-Over-Her-Life-Which-Included-Regular-Torture Malfoy. She couldn't explain it…after all he'd done to her, she had let him kiss her. And yet, she did know why she had done it…it had been less than a second, but the look in his eyes…it had been a vulnerability that she had never seen on another person before. Sure, she had seen it a million times in the mirror, but never did she expect to see it on_ Malfoy_ of all people.

The instant he had ripped off her blindfold, she had been hit with the full force of his anger. She didn't blame him for being angry - she'd said horrible things to him. All of which, she still maintained, that he deserved whole heartedly. But as he'd stared at her, his anger had seemed to change into something different - frustration, determination, hurt…and then he'd moved towards her.

What had he said? Hermione tried to remember… _I'll show you coward._

Is that really why he'd done it? To prove to her that he wasn't a sulking, moaning cry baby? It seemed almost cliché, but sometimes those were the only moments in life that you could count on to be real. It just seemed so strange…why would he care what she said about him? He could sure dish the nasty stuff out. She must have really hit a nerve.

Hermione sighed and rolled over, her brow furrowed. She would never make sense of Malfoy now.

--

In the morning Hermione rose and tried to go about her business as if the events of last night never happened. It was as if the last month had been erased, and she was back inside that maze that was Malfoy's mind, trying to decipher his next move, unsure whether she should be scared or angry or excited.

The kitchens seemed suffocating, so Hermione convinced Flopsy to come to the garden with her to help weed the flowerbeds. As she worked, she didn't notice that someone was watching her from a balcony several stories up. She was too bewildered to think about anything, really.

'Miss, is everythings alright?' Flopsy asked her timidly, not wanting to upset her.

'Hm? Oh, yes, I'm just a bit…' Hermione trailed off as if she had forgotten that she'd been talking. Both of them turned around suddenly as they heard footsteps approaching, but relaxed when they saw it was just Minky. She joined them on the ground, shyly glancing towards Flopsy and reddening slightly.

Hermione smiled absentmindedly. Maybe cheering somebody else up would make her feel better.

'Minky, did I ever tell you that Flopsy is fantastic with a pair of shearers?'

Flopsy looked at Hermione in alarm and went red himself. Minky looked at him interestedly.

'No, miss. I would loves to see!' she squeaked, looking hopeful. Flopsy spluttered for a moment until Hermione produced a pair of shearers from their stack of garden tools that they'd brought with them.

'Go on, then. Show us what you can do,' she grinned at him as he took the shearers from her as if they were a basilisk egg. Tentatively, he walked to the nearest hedge, which was in need of a trim, and glanced at Minky as if seeking reassurance. Her wondrous smile seemed to do it for him, so he raised the shearers and began to chop at the fly-away leaves so fast his arms were a blur.

Hermione and Minky looked on in amazement, Hermione smiling secretly. As they watched, Flopsy transformed the bush into a shy love heart. When he was done he stood back, panting slightly, and Minky edged forwards to examine his work.

'It is beautiful, isn't it, miss?' she said in awe. Flopsy's blush deepened, but he looked thrilled. He glanced at Hermione, who motioned towards Minky behind her back as if to say, _What are you waiting for?_ Flopsy gulped slightly, but nodded.

'It is…it is a gift for you, Minky,' he said nervously. Hermione casually strolled away to smell the roses nearby and give them some privacy. When she looked back, the two elves were cautiously holding hands and smiling nervously at each other. Hermione couldn't help but grin. It was such a relief to know that good things could still happen in the world.

She spent the rest of the day out in the sunlight with the two of them, laughing at their nervousness and praising their work. They could prune, cut and weed so much better than her, but they were more than happy to teach her a few tricks. It was with some apprehension that Hermione stood before her overgrown shrub, the heavy shearers dangling from her hand. Would Narcissa punish her if the turned one of her shrubs into a mess? Flopsy had already informed her that Narcissa delighted in the elves' styling of the plants, because it never failed to impress their guests when they held garden parties.

Apprehensively, Hermione began to clip at the leaves. What would she make?

Slowly, as she got the hang of the steady motion of the shearers with Flopsy and Minky at her side telling her things of encouragement, Hermione's shrub began to take shape. It wasn't until Flopsy said it aloud that Hermione realised what she was making.

'Oh, miss! It's a face!' Hermione stopped to look at what she'd done and saw that it was indeed a face.

'But, miss…why is it crying?' Minky asked curiously, examining the evident tear that clung to the shrub-face's cheek. Hermione dropped the shears.

'It's…' why had she made _his_ face? _Why?_ She didn't even remember doing it.

'It's Master Malfoy!' Flopsy suddenly understood. Minky nodded in agreement and they both clapped Hermione as if she had accomplished something amazing.

'It's brilliant, miss!'

'It's nothing,' Hermione muttered. She thought about picking up the shears and turning it into something else. But the truth was it was beautiful. Not just her work, but what she'd made as well. It was only at that moment that Hermione realised she had never forgotten the look on his face when she'd seen him in that study all those weeks ago. She only hoped that nobody else would recognise it.

Turning quickly, as if she had sensed somebody coming, Hermione scanned the darkening grounds behind them. For a moment she thought she saw a movement up above, but when she looked there was nobody there.

It wasn't until they reluctantly returned to the kitchens after it began to rain that doubts began to creep into Hermione's head, and she was again wondering if the kiss with Malfoy had really happened. As the day had worn on, it had become more and more unlikely to Hermione that she had imagined it. But she was at a loss as to what she should do now. Avoid him? That was hardly something she could control, anyway. But maybe he would avoid her. Hermione's thoughts were in turmoil.

_If he's kissing me, I'm probably not going to be whipped. But if he's kissing me…he's kissing me!_

She wished more than anything that she had someone to talk to. She missed Lavender and the other girls from the camp. If only she was allowed to send them an owl, they would tell her what to do. She had no idea what to make of any of it - his strange behaviour, her own behaviour in response to him…it was all one big enigma. And as she set to work on dinner alongside the house elves her bell rang three times, pulling her again away from reality for the night.

--

'You missed a spot, Granger.'

Hermione sighed, cracking her back painfully. Her wounds from the distant whippings were now nothing more than scars, but she was now aching all over as she leaned over the floor, scrubbing the shiny surface. She had been in Malfoy's room a full two hours now, and so far her only order had been to clean his floor. Hermione didn't see the point of it - it was spotless already.

She couldn't help wondering why Malfoy would call her to his room when he seemed to have nothing for her to do there. There had been no mention whatsoever of their kiss or their fight, and Hermione was no fool. She had successfully kept her mouth shut so far, and she intended to do so for the rest of the night. Maybe she really had imagined it.

_Is it my imagination or is he staring at me more than usual…_

Hermione couldn't help glancing at him more than was necessary, only to find him staring back. There was no emotion in his gaze that she could identify, but somehow he seemed warmer towards her. As if they were back in school, and it was all just teasing and playful torture. Hermione also couldn't help looking at his lips, the lips she had been kissing last night. Or at least, she _thought_ she had been kissing them last night. Every time he caught her looking, Malfoy's usual smirk would appear and she would look away in embarrassment.

After more pointless scrubbing, Malfoy finally relented. Just as he had done on the first night she had come to him, he pointed his wand and a bottle of massage oil fell into her hands.

'You know what to do,' Malfoy pulled off his shirt and Hermione tried hard not to look. He lay down on his bed and Hermione approached apprehensively. Was this some kind of trick?

She sat down beside him, keeping her distance, and set to work massaging his back. Malfoy was completely silent as she kept her eyes tightly shut. She tried not to think about the muscles that were staring up at her, or take notice of the bulging arm that his head was resting against. Once she had settled into a steady rhythm, she lost track of her thoughts until Malfoy suddenly turned over and sat up.

'Granger,' Malfoy was suddenly whispering into her ear. She opened her eyes without realising she had been drifting off and stared around at him. Malfoy was leaning very close to her. Hermione couldn't help but look down at his chest, which was almost touching her own, and immediately wished she hadn't. She could feel her cheeks reddening. But just as she moved to stand up, Malfoy's hand touched her arm gently, sending her skin into shivers and making her stomach do cartwheels.

'That was amazing, Granger,' he whispered, his fingers tracing a pattern over her shoulder. The more-than-rare compliment completely missed her brain as she focussed on his hand, touching her skin.

'I-I used to do it all the time a-at the…camps,' Hermione wondered why her voice felt so far away, and why she wasn't trying to fight him off as she should be doing.

'What else did you do at the camps?' Malfoy's nails were lightly tugging at her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

'N-Not much…' she was struggling to find words.

'Did you do…_this?_' Malfoy bent forwards and suddenly his lips were on hers, lighter than air. Hermione went to pull away but no sooner had it started than ended, and he was staring at her out of hooded eyes.

'No,' she shook her head, not sure what he was doing but not exactly trying to stop him. She felt as if she was frozen in place, hypnotised by his touch. But more than that - she _needed_ this - she needed to feel wanted by somebody, after so, _so_ long of being alone. Just a touch…just one touch…it felt so new and so old at the same time. It didn't matter who it was. It didn't matter that he was Malfoy and she was mudblood. But to Hermione, after so long, it felt like heaven.

'What about…_this?'_ his lips were on hers again. This time he was harder, his grip on her arm keeping her from moving. But Hermione found herself kissing him back, letting her mouth open slightly for his tongue to enter. Again Malfoy pulled away and Hermione opened her eyes.

'No, none of that,' she breathed, her eyes on his lips. He smirked at her and lay back against his pillows.

'Come here…' he commanded softly. Hermione started forwards, but dimly, something registered in the back of her mind.

_Come here…_ he had said that to her the first night she had been here. That same night she had given him a massage on the bed… something wasn't right here. This was all too familiar. Was she just dreaming of that first night? No, this was definitely real. She stood up suddenly and backed away from him.

'What are you playing at?' she said angrily. Malfoy looked at her calmly and didn't move.

'Excuse me?'

'You've been planning this all along, haven't you?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'You've been trying to seduce me from the day I arrived!' Hermione cried shrilly. She couldn't explain, even to herself, why she was getting so worked up, why it meant something to her that he had been planning to do this all along, that he didn't care for her at all.

She now understood - he hadn't really kissed her last night because he wanted to. He was just doing it to destroy her, slowly and painfully. And he'd been planning it from the very first night that she'd arrived. She could now remember as if it had been yesterday, the way he had leaned back in his chair and his eyes had travelled over her hungrily. Pansy had interrupted his plans then, and then Seamus had held his attention for the next few weeks. But now his eye was back on the prize - humiliating Hermione completely and horrifically. He had already shown with the house elves that he knew how to torture her better than she would have known herself. This was all part of it - he knew she was a virgin. And he was trying to take that away from her as well. Whatever she had thought she'd seen in his eyes was all part of it, part of his act.

She expected him to deny it, to say she was crazy, but instead Malfoy sneered.

'Finally caught on, have you?'

Hermione felt she was about to burst into tears as she ran for the door, but of course it wouldn't open for her.

'Did you really think I was beginning to care about you?' Malfoy laughed a cruel, taunting laugh. Hermione banged helplessly against the door, desperate to get away from him.

'And it only took one kiss!' Malfoy was smirking all over his face as he approached her. But before he could reach her, mercifully, the doors opened and Hermione fell out of the room, sprinting back down the corridor. By the time she reached her room she was positively sobbing.

_How could I have let this happen? How could I be so stupid?_

Hermione should have seen this coming. Of course Draco Malfoy - murderer, and God knows what else - would never like her in that way. To him she was just an object for him to play with._ That's_ why he had summoned her. Hadn't he asked her if she knew why he'd called for her specifically on her first night? Well, this was why. He was going to take away all of her remaining dignity - he had already begun several weeks ago. Last night had been the next step. And now it was only a matter of time before he took what he wanted and she couldn't stop him. Ever.

Hermione couldn't catch her breath through her tears. What would he do to her next?

--

**ahh another chapter, another sad hermione moment. did i trick you into thinking that they were about to begin their romance? hehe...not quite yet...**

**I really really hope you liked this chappy and I hope you're both relieved that they haven't fallen in love yet and angry that Malfoy's being a dick again. Review if you like, it makes me so happy :) love you all**


	12. The Homecomer

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter even though my imagination likes to think it does**

**YAY, I'm so glad I fooled you all with the last chapter! I think Draco has definitely reached a whole new level of torture here and I can only hope that it goes down from here...Oh, who am I kidding? Heaps more torture to come! And for those of you who were asking whether he really did plan this from the beginning or just decided to go along with her...I'm not telling!**

**I'm dedicating this chapter to DracosPunkBabe because it was your bday the other day (or so you said hehe) and because your review made me laugh a little too loudly, the way you talk to Draco is hilarious!**

**Now on with the next Hermione-torture. Please enjoy and please review :)**

**--**

Malfoy took great delight in teasing Hermione as much as possible over the next few days. He continued to make her scrub his floor, despite the fact that it was now gleaming so fiercely that she could have sworn she was getting sunburn from it, while he stood over her reciting long and insufferable accounts of the look on her face when he had kissed her. He was being intolerably cruel and Hermione's shame and embarrassment was now long gone, giving way to anger which she was unable to take out in any form whatsoever. She got through the nights biting down hard on her tongue, refusing to take his bait, and singing softly in her head.

But now it wasn't just at night that Hermione had to put up with him - Malfoy had taken a liking to inviting her to meals, only to have her stand in the corner while he ate, usually alone. Occasionally he was joined by his mother and Blaise Zabini, and Hermione couldn't help but smirk despite her fury and humiliation as she could see what Malfoy could not - his mother and his best friend playing footsies beneath the table. Hermione wondered how long their little affair had been going on and she wondered what would happen when Lucius returned home at last. Though, she couldn't help hoping that he never came back - the way the house elves spoke about him made it obvious that he was incomparably evil, even next to his son. And his son was already far gone along the path to hell.

Hermione felt more furious at Malfoy than she had been even after seeing him whip the house elves. It wasn't so much the humiliation of believing he had cared for her that made it so unbearable. It was knowing what was sure to come next, and that she had no way to avoid it. If he wanted to seduce her then that was exactly what he was going to do - slowly and painfully, of course. But she couldn't stop him without putting the lives of the house elves, not to mention herself, at stake. And she refused to let those poor creatures suffer anymore for her own disobedience. She would have to take whatever she got. She hated Malfoy with an all-new passion. Her skin crawled just to be near him.

Thankfully, he had not yet made his next move on her. But Hermione had no doubts that he was simply planning his next attack, the best way to take her dignity next. She shivered every time their eyes met - what was he thinking in that twisted, demented head of his? Would he try to charm her again, or simply take what he wanted? He knew he could do it…and what scared Hermione the most was that she knew he could, too.

It was at breakfast several days later when something happened to stray Hermione away from her thoughts of Malfoy. Halfway through their scrambled eggs, Narcissa cleared her throat importantly and Malfoy looked up from the paper he'd been reading. It was just the two of them this morning - the boy-toy was nowhere in sight today.

'Draco, I have excellent news. Your father will be returning home tonight, he's completed his mission for the Dark Lord at last!'

Malfoy raised his eyebrows, not looking particularly thrilled by this information. But Narcissa didn't seem to notice as she continued on, looking deliriously happy at the return of her husband.

'He's been gone for almost six months, I can't believe he's finally returning!' she seemed close to tears as Malfoy looked bored. Hermione was surprised at the obvious amount of affection Narcissa felt for her husband. What the hell was she doing with Blaise then? And what was Lucius doing that required him to be away for six whole months?

'You know what this means, of course,' Narcissa went on. 'We shall be holding a ball tonight in his honour, out in the gardens. I shall be informing the servants straight after breakfast so they can begin the preparations.'

'Great,' Malfoy muttered sarcastically, turning back to his paper.

'Oh, and one last thing,' Narcissa suddenly turned stern, 'You know your father wants to see you settling down soon, Draco…' as she trailed off Malfoy looked up at her in exasperation.

'Right,' Malfoy said, evidently trying to end their conversation.

'And you know he loves that you're such a little lady's man…' Narcissa looked at her son fondly. Malfoy grunted in reply, holding his paper higher to block her from view.

'But he would like to see you with a suitable mistress, one of the death eater's daughters,' Narcissa pressed on, raising her voice slightly.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever!' Malfoy stood, losing his patience, but Narcissa reached for his hand.

'Draco, listen to me! Your father will be_ most disappointed_ if you appear tonight without a date!'

'Mother, please -'

'No, Draco. This is final. Just send an owl to Pansy and invite her.'

'What if I don't feel like talking to Pansy?' Malfoy said through gritted teeth.

'She's invited anyway, Draco. Everybody worth knowing will be here.'

'Mother, I am not in the mood -'

'Draco, this is for your father! Just invite anybody!' Narcissa waved a hand at him in irritation, obviously frustrated that her son seemed so against the idea of spending time in the company of a woman.

'I wouldn't know who to ask, they all bore me,' Malfoy sneered.

'Draco, invite one of the servants for all I care,' she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm, 'Just be there at eight o'clock!' Narcissa was evidently bored with the conversation as she got up to leave. But at her words Malfoy had started and looked around at Hermione. She looked back at him in alarm as a slow smirk spread across his face. She knew that look…

Once Narcissa was safely out of the room, Malfoy sat back into his seat and motioned her over. Hermione approached warily.

'You will accompany to my father's ball tonight, mudblood,' Malfoy stated calmly. Hermione looked at him as if he were crazy.

'You want to take _me?_'

'Yes, Granger. You will be disguised, of course. I don't want to be seen with a mudblood, let alone a _servant_.'

Hermione couldn't hold in the questions. His behaviour had certainly changed recently, but this was just ridiculous. Hermione, in a house full of death eaters who all hated her guts and would kill her on the spot?

'_Why?_ Master?' she added quickly, seeing the look on his face.

'Because. It will give me much more pleasure to watch you squirming than to suffer through an entire night with one of the death eater's daughters. They are only interested in sleeping with me.'

Hermione stared at him in shock.

'And that holds no appeal for you?' she asked slowly, honestly curious at his words. Malfoy shrugged and grinned devilishly.

'I've already bedded all of them. All the attractive ones, at least. So no, there is no appeal for me.' He spoke about it so casually it made Hermione blush.

'But…you hate me,' she stammered, still refusing to believe he truly wanted to take her to his ball.

'Of course I do, mudblood,' Malfoy said calmly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, 'But as I already _explained_ to you, I will have a much more enjoyable night watching you suffer than being felt up by a bunch of pathetic sluts. They will try anyway, but with you at my side they will have to restrain themselves.'

'But…I won't know anyone.'

'So?' Malfoy said coolly, supremely unconcerned.

'What if I say something stupid?'

'You always do, Granger. Just keep your pretty little mouth shut and try not to let the other women walk all over you.'

Hermione scowled. That seemed like slight a contradiction, but she wisely let it slide.

'Will they all be horrible to me?' she asked apprehensively. Malfoy smirked.

'Yes, they will be. They won't even know that it's you, but they still will be,' this seemed to amuse him greatly.

'Who will I talk to?'

'Mudblood, did I not just tell you to keep your mouth _shut?_ Unless spoken to first, of course. And you will stay by my side all evening.'

Hermione couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at this.

'I wouldn't have thought you would want to spend an entire night with a mudblood like me.'

'I will not repeat my motives to you again, Granger.' Malfoy said with warning in his voice. 'You are coming with me and that's final. We will dance and drink and pretend to be happy, understood?'

'Yes…master,' Hermione said meekly.

'Of course, I will be happy anyway. You will provide me with endless entertainment,' Hermione had to bite her lip to stop herself from smacking him across his smirking face.

'Now, the arrangements,' Malfoy continued, 'You will meet me in my room at eight o'clock. You will bathe and get ready. You will wear the dress I prepare for you. I will cast a concealment charm on your face so that nobody but me will recognise you. Your name will be…' he paused to think, 'Your name will be Pearl. Pearl Shadows. Understood?'

'But your mother said to be there at eight -'

'Granger, I am never on time to a party. Especially my own. Understood?'

Hermione nodded numbly. Then something suddenly came to her.

'Will…will _he_ be there?' Malfoy didn't need to ask who she meant.

'No,' he said simply, his eyes seeming to darken. There was a moment's silence before Narcissa's voice cut through the air, making Hermione jump.

'MUDBLOOD! GET DOWN HERE!' Hermione hurried out of the room with one last curious look at Malfoy, who had returned to his paper and ignored her. She made her way down to the kitchens and found the house elves all surrounding Narcissa, waiting for their orders for the day.

'There is to be a garden ball tonight,' Narcissa began, strolling back and forwards. 'My husband is returning -' Hermione could have sworn that the house elves shared looks of terror at this news, '- so it must be the best party the wizarding world has ever seen. You all know what to do.'

And with that Narcissa stomped back upstairs as if the house elves disgusted her more than anything. As soon as she was gone the elves broke out into terrified squeaks.

'He is returning!' they were saying over and over again. Hermione watched them in disarray.

'Is he that bad?' she asked quietly. They nodded, unable to speak, and dashed off to begin their chores for the party as if terrified Lucius Malfoy would suddenly jump out of the oven and attack if they were too slow.

'Miss, come on -' Minky was pulling at the hem of Hermione's dress, tugging her upstairs. She pulled her all the way out to the gardens in silence. Already there were a dozen elves, dragging out ladders and hanging up delicate fairy lights. Minky handed Hermione a pair of shearers.

'We is to prune the rest of the bushes,' she whispered, 'We can makes them snakes, skulls, hands, dragons, all dark things!'

Hermione nodded, entirely creeped out by the sudden terrified atmosphere. She and Minky set to work, and soon Hermione was well into the rhythm of trimming. She made several snakes, a few hands clutching wands, and even attempted a dementor. Really, it was quite fun to prune the trees, she thought.

She concentrated on the shrubs before her to avoid thinking of the ordeal she was going to be put through tonight. Damn Malfoy, he always had new and cruel ways to torture her. And this was his perfect opportunity - if she was pretending to be his date he could grope her freely. Hermione squirmed at the realisation that he would probably try and kiss her and she would have to kiss him back. The thought of dancing with him made her skin itch. And then there were the other guests - he had promised her that the women would be nasty to her. It seemed a bit far-fetched, that they would hate her just because she was with him.

But they wouldn't even be the worst of it. Lucius Malfoy sounded like a monster and Hermione was petrified of him already. She was curious to see the interaction between him and his son - Malfoy obviously was harbouring some very serious hostilities against his father. She wondered again how Narcissa would react - she had seemed blissfully happy at the prospect this morning. Would she miss Blaise? Would they continue their affair? Somehow Hermione didn't think so. She didn't think anyone would dare to defy Lucius Malfoy under his own roof when he himself was present.

At around four o'clock Hermione suddenly saw Narcissa watching them from the deck, looking satisfied. Next to her was a man Hermione recognised with a shiver as Norfolk. She hadn't seen him since the dinner in which Malfoy had invited his friends to laugh at her. As she looked at him, Hermione felt her stomach tighten as she found him staring at her, his expression unmistakeable. He licked his lips greedily and Hermione gulped. She could still remember the way he had grabbed her at the camps and forced his tongue down her throat. Maybe being with Malfoy tonight wouldn't be such a bad idea. But then Hermione reminded herself that she would be unrecognisable. The idea was an immense relief.

As the sun began to set the elves and Hermione made their way downstairs to prepare the food for the guests. It was enticingly delicious: they made stacks of tiny cupcakes, tarts she had never dreamed of, cocktails filled with swirling colours. Hermione found that her mouth was watering - she hadn't eaten something so beautiful-looking her entire life.

The elves were delighted by her praise and growling stomach and insisted that she become taste tester for the evening. Hermione was happy to help, sampling everything one by one and offering her expert opinion - everything was perfect.

'Honestly, I don't know how you guys do it!' she exclaimed, licking the icing of a cake off her finger.

'Thank you, miss! You is too kind!' one of the elves grinned, offering her a cookie shaped like a butterfly - obviously for the female guests. There were skull cookies as well, which made Hermione want to roll her eyes. Death Eaters were so predictable.

'Please, all of you! Call me Hermione,' she said for the hundredth time. The elves looked at each other unsurely, but Hermione repeated herself. 'Really, it would make me so happy if you did.'

That seemed to cheer the house elves up even more.

'Hermione!' could be heard coming from almost every mouth in the room for the remainder of the cooking preparations and Hermione couldn't help but grin at their enthusiasm of saying her name. It was incredible how something so trivial to a human could brighten up their whole day - no, _week._

'It's almost eight o'clock!' one of them suddenly squeaked. The mood changed instantly, their terrified expressions returning.

'Does that mean Lucius is here?' Hermione asked anxiously. They shook their heads.

'No, miss - I means, Hermione. He is to appear at midnight.' Hermione nodded. So at least she wouldn't be introduced to him for a few hours. Above them, the sound of adult voices could suddenly be heard coming from the gardens. Hermione sighed and put down the cookie she had bitten into.

'I have to go now,' she said regrettably. The elves nodded, looking as nervous as she felt, and waved her goodbye. Hermione made her way cautiously upstairs, and breathed a sigh of relief to find the entrance hall empty, but looking stunning. She reminded herself to congratulate the elves tomorrow on their amazing skills. Lights hung everywhere, casting an eerie but beautiful pinkish glow over the hall. The floors, walls and even ceiling sparkled like they had been polished down to their foundations. There was the faint sound of classical music that seemed to be coming from the very air itself.

Hermione shook her head in amazement. She couldn't believe she was about to go to the most glamorous party in the wizarding world, with Draco Malfoy. It would be torture and she knew that was exactly why he was doing it. The only plus side that she could see was that Voldemort would not be attending. She wondered nervously if anyone would know she was a mudblood. She was astonished to find that now even _she_ was calling herself a mudblood.

Hermione sighed and made her way upstairs without pausing to look at the rest of the house - she would be late if she took any more time, and God help her if she had to go to the party with fresh whippings on her back.

--

**oooh, what will happen next? Stay tuned...and let me know your thoughts :)**


	13. The Girlfriend

**Hey everyone! Once again thank you so much for your kind reviews I'm so glad that you like the story so much :) Well I don't have much more to say for now so I hope you enjoy this chappy**

**--**

'Enter,' Malfoy called as she knocked on his door. Her stomach in knots, Hermione walked into his room to find it looking just as it always did. Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, but then his voice floated out to her from the bathroom.

'Get in here,' he ordered. Hermione made her way towards the open door slowly, unsure of what sight was to meet her eyes. She paused in the doorway to find Malfoy lounging back in his tub, steam rising from the scorching water. Hermione looked away quickly feeling desperately embarrased, although she couldn't see anything through the thick bubbles anyway.

'Granger, I told you to get in here,' Malfoy repeated lazily. His arms were resting around the edge of the tub, his head lolling back and his eyes closed. Hermione stared.

'You want me to get in? With you?' she said, puzzled. Her stomach was lurching. The last thing she wanted to do was strip down in front of Malfoy, especially with recent events still in mind. Hadn't he embarrassed her enough in_ that_ way lately? Obviously not.

'Yes, mudblood. Do you not understand English?' Hermione barely noticed that he had switched back to mudblood as she clutched herself desperately.

'I don't want…' she trailed off, unsure of how to finish that sentence. Because deep down she knew that there was nothing she could do about it anyway. Malfoy would get what he wanted, as always.

'I don't care what you want. And if I have to say it again, you will be punished,' Malfoy's eyes were still closed so he couldn't see the furious blush that was creeping across Hermione's face. Slowly and very reluctantly, Hermione inched forwards and stood beside the tub, hoping that he would change his mind. Instead, Malfoy's head straightened to watch her interestedly.

'_Now!_' he suddenly barked at her, and Hermione jumped. She looked at him desperately, searching for the smallest shred of compassion, but she found none. As she slowly reached up to pull her dress over her head, Hermione wished Malfoy would look away. But of course he wouldn't, his eyes watching her ravenously as her legs were gradually revealed to him.

Hermione pulled her dress off and held it to her chest as Malfoy smirked, staring freely at her body. His eyes took in her shapely legs and her innocent white underwear - Hermione mentally thanked the house elves for bringing her a new pair just yesterday. Her other pair had become shamelessly tattered and dirty, and Hermione was very glad Malfoy hadn't seen those. She found it surprising that she still cared what he thought of her, but she did.

'Move your dress,' Malfoy ordered silky. Very grudgingly, averting her eyes from his face, Hermione let her dress drop to the floor. When she chanced a look at Malfoy's face she was surprised to see that he wasn't staring at her chest, but straight into her eyes. His smirk was more pronounced than ever.

'Now the rest,' he said softly. Hermione knew that her cheeks were burning scarlet. Defiantly, keeping her eyes on him, she turned around and reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. She let it fall to the floor to join her dress. Then, drawing out the moment as much as she could before she would be naked before him, Hermione slowly grasped the waistband of her underwear. Inch by inch, her eyes closed in despair, she slid them down her legs until they too fell to the floor. She stepped out of them, breathing deeply.

'Turn around,' Malfoy commanded. With one hand Hermione covered her breasts, the other carefully concealing her most private area from his eyes as she turned very reluctantly to face him. Malfoy sighed.

'Remove your hands,' he ordered impatiently. Hermione looked at him pleadingly, but he merely sneered at her. 'I'll get my wand in a minute,' he said warningly. Hermione bit her lip. She didn't want him to see her naked body, but she definitely didn't want to go to a party full of people who would murder her on the spot with fresh torture wounds. How would she run away then if they discovered her?

Weighing up her options and taking a deep breath, Hermione slowly slid her hands down to her sides.

Malfoy let out an intake of breath and Hermione looked up at him curiously. He was gazing at her breasts hungrily, making her squirm inside. Slowly, his eyes travelled down her stomach - a bit too thin, he decided - and settled between her thighs. Hermione could feel the heat coming off her cheeks. Malfoy stared at her openly, knowing what it was doing to her, and smirked. He wanted to take her right then and there, she looked so disgustingly innocent and scared.

'Get in,' Malfoy said finally, and gratefully Hermione slid into the water, relieved to be able to hide her body from him. She sat as far away from him as possible as he watched her triumphantly, his eyes lingering around her bare shoulders for longer than was necessary.

'Let's go over the plan,' he said, his eyes scanning over her face tauntingly. Hermione crossed her arms over her breasts beneath the water, thankful for its heat after being cold and naked.

'You are Pearl Shadows, from the south of England. Your parents are dead…it's too risky if nobody knows your father. We met last week at a bar in London. You are infatuated with me, as you should be. You are staying here as of tonight only - my mother would be suspicious otherwise,' he paused to smirk, 'And, of course, we are sleeping together.'

Hermione opened her mouth to complain but thought better of it.

'Understood?'

'Yes…_master_,' she said dully. Malfoy smirked.

'I'm glad to see you're finally submitting to me . Now, come here and wash my back.'

Gulping, Hermione edged forwards as Malfoy turned to rest against his arms on the side of the tub, his back wet and glistening. She picked up the soap that was sitting on the ledge at the edge of the tub and slowly began to wash him. She couldn't take her eyes off his muscles, they looked amazing as the water washed over them.

Suddenly, Malfoy turned and pried the soap from her hand. Hermione recoiled quickly, not wanting to be too close to him, but Malfoy grabbed her by the shoulder and span her around so that now she had her back to him. Surprisingly softly, he began to wash her back as she had just been doing for him. Hermione closed her eyes, willing it to be over - it felt much to good to be allowed in her situation. She felt Malfoy's breath suddenly on her neck and turned her head slightly to find he was right behind her, his lips inches from her skin.

'What are you doing?' she gasped, trying to move away. But Malfoy dropped the bar of soap with a splash into the water and his arms encircled her waist, trapping her against him. She could feel his chest pressing against her back and something distinctly much too hard to be stomach muscles resting against the curve of her backside.

'Scared, Granger?' Malfoy whispered against her neck. Hermione nodded, unable to use her mouth. He chuckled softly.

'You've never been naked with a man before, have you?' Hermione blushed furiously as he laughed at her again but she didn't dare try to move, his strong arms still wrapped tightly around her waist.

'It's okay, I don't need an answer to that one.'

'It's none of your business,' Hermione snapped angrily, forgetting to be silent. Malfoy continued to laugh softly. His hands suddenly gripped her sides and spun her around again so that she found herself face to face with him. She backed away in the water until her back hit the side of the tub, and Malfoy followed, his eyes glinting. He leaned close to her, supporting himself with his arms, and Hermione had to grip the sides of the tub to stop herself from slipping beneath the water. Malfoy inched closer until his chest suddenly connected with hers, making Hermione gasp. She couldn't move.

'Tell me,' Malfoy breathed, his hard muscles pressing against his soft breasts beneath the water, 'Does it scare you, to have to pretend that you're sleeping with me?'

'Y - yes!' Hermione gasped, wishing he would move away. But Malfoy's smirk widened as he leaned his face towards her neck. Slowly, he lowered his lips to her skin and gently nibbled at her soft flesh. Hermione bit her lip to hold in a moan that threatened to escape her mouth and closed her eyes.

_Why is he doing this to me?_ she groaned inwardly, wishing he would stop but at the same time enjoying it. She couldn't help it and she couldn't control it. She was shaking with her fear, his strong body pressed against hers, but her nipples were becoming erect as his skin teased them out.

'You won't have to pretend much longer,' he breathed suddenly into her ear. Hermione gazed at him in horror as his words sunk in.

'How…how much longer?' she asked timidly, unable to stop herself. She was shaking like a leaf beneath him.

'That remains to be seen,' Malfoy replied smoothly. Hermione's eyes widened.

'Do you…do you think you could give me a rough estimation?'

Malfoy laughed loudly against her neck.

'That sounds like the old Granger,' he murmured. His teeth bit into her skin gently and Hermione's eyes fluttered closed.

'Please…' she breathed, desperate for him to stop. But Malfoy ignored her and continued his exploration of her skin. His lips moved down to her collarbone and his teeth grazed softly across her protruding bone. Much to her chagrin, Hermione could feel her skin beginning to respond to his touch.

_Ignore him, _she told herself desperately. _Think of something else._ But she couldn't draw her attention away from his devilish lips. She bit down on her tongue urgently to stop herself from whimpering.

And suddenly, Malfoy's lips moved off her skin and his hand was on top of her head. In one swift movement, he dunked her head beneath the water. Hermione came up spluttering furiously and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Malfoy was laughing cruelly as he stood and climbed out of the tub. Hermione quickly looked away so she wouldn't have to see his naked body. She certainly wasn't ready for _that _little shock again. Although she could hardly call it little.

'That's payback, Granger,' Malfoy laughed. 'Now, wash your hair and hurry the fuck up.'

And with that he left, leaving Hermione wet and seething. Quickly, she washed her hair and scrubbed all the dirt off her body, not wanting to make him angry - his temper was obviously out of whack. One minute he's kissing her, next he's trying to drown her! He was a mystery unto himself, a complete enigma, and just when she thought she had him figured out he went and did something like _that _and she had rethink her whole analysis.

Hermione sighed and laid back in the water. She suddenly felt terribly drained and her eyes drifted shut.

_She was running through the garden. There were fairy lights floating above her head, but they were casting a blinding light into her eyes and she couldn't see the nose on the end of her face. Behind her they were gaining on her - she could hear hundreds of voices laughing loudly as the approached. She tried to run faster but the shoes she was wearing suddenly welded themselves to the ground and wouldn't move. Hermione fell forwards, her hands scraping painfully against the tough gravel beneath her._

'_Well, well, well,' said a cold voice behind her. She turned around and saw them slowly closing in on her. There were hundreds of them. All wearing their dark black hoods and silvery masks. The Death Eaters._

'_Did you really think you could fool us?' one of them asked her, his booming voice resonating throughout her very soul._

'_He - he said I would be disguised,' she stammered. The surrounding crowd burst into low, cruel laughter._

'_Stupid girl. You cannot hide what you are. You are a mudblood and always will be.'_

_Hermione gasped as suddenly a hundred wands were pointing into her face._

'_No, please!' she cried, but her pleas were only met with more laughter. She looked around for a friendly face - anyone - but she saw nothing but black. And then they were on her, her arms were pinned behind her back, a wand was pointing painfully into her throat. The man who stood above her knelt down before her and slowly removed his mask to reveal bright red eyes. Hermione opened her mouth to scream but his curse had already silenced her. The green light was blinding as she fell into an eternal sleep._

'MUDBLOOD!' Malfoy bellowed. Hermione sat up with a splash and looked around in confusion. She sighed in relief - it had only been a dream.

'You had better be out of that bath by the time I count to three, mudblood,' Malfoy yelled from his bedroom. 'One, two -'

Hermione scrambled quickly out of the tub, clutching herself in the sudden cold. There was a clean, fluffy white towel waiting for her. She dried herself gratefully, then looked around for her clothes. They were gone.

Hesitating, she left the bathroom and hovered on the edge of the room, waiting for Malfoy to notice her. He was standing by the windows, only half dressed in smart black pants. He held a white shirt in his hand, but he turned when Hermione let out a timid cough.

'Um…what am I meant to wear?' she asked him quickly before he could snap at her. Malfoy turned back to the windows, studying the garden below.

'It's on the bed,' he said.

Hermione looked to his bed and had to bite back a gasp. There lay a stunning green dress across the sheets, sparkling delicately in the light of the chandelier as if it was covered in thousands of tiny jewels. As Hermione bent to examine it closer she saw that it was sparkling with what looked like miniature emeralds, glittering enticingly at her. Hermione picked it up and carried it back to the bathroom carefully, dazzled by its beauty. Suddenly, the prospect of meeting Lucius Malfoy, spending an entire evening in Malfoy's company while having to act as if she couldn't keep her hands off him and lying to a house full of death eaters who could discover and kill her at any second didn't seem so terrifying.

She hung the dress carefully on the door and looked around to see a fresh set of undergarments waiting for her on a dressing table that she hadn't taken any notice of until now. She felt herself blush - the panties were black and lacy, something Hermione had never looked for in her underwear before. They also appeared to be incredibly skimpy. Hermione shot a look of anger back at Malfoy, who had appeared in the doorway. He smirked at her.

'Hurry up, mudblood. We will be leaving in twenty minutes.'

Scowling, Hermione pushed the underwear aside and sat down before the mirror to fix her hair. Making sure her towel was secured tightly around her, she skimmed through the products that had suddenly appeared before her. There were several make up products, which Hermione found highly amusing. She hadn't worn make up in over two years and the idea seemed quite exciting.

Leaving her hair to dry naturally, Hermione set to work applying mascara and eyeliner. For now the party wasn't even on her mind - this made her feel almost as if she were back at Hogwarts, preparing for the Yule Ball. It was fun.

When she was done with her eyes, Hermione picked up a lipstick then hesitated. Her lips were already full and red, more so than usual due to her embarrassment and excitement. It was an unfortunate habit of hers that Hermione had always wished wouldn't happen.

'Ten minutes, mudblood!' Malfoy called from the bedroom. Sighing, Hermione turned to her hair. It was still damp and the first tell-tale signs of frizz were beginning to appear. Picking up a bottle of Sleek-ezy Potion, Hermione gently applied it to her hair. Immediately, steam appeared as her hair instantly dried and her soft curls fell perfectly into place around her shoulders. The frizziness was completely gone and it looked gorgeous. Satisfied, Hermione turned back to her underwear with another scowl.

_How dare he make me wear this, _she thought angrily as she picked them up. She would just have to tell herself that it's worth it to wear the dress…

Gingerly, Hermione slipped into the panties to find they fit perfectly, although they revealed a lot more than she would have liked. Despite Hermione's doubts, they were also extremely comfortable. Suddenly, Hermione realised that she didn't have a bra.

_Screw it_, she told herself, turning slowly towards the dress. As she took it off its hanger and stepped into it, the fabric seemed to cling to her skin like a glove. She pulled it up and secured it around her neck. And suddenly Hermione knew why she didn't have a bra - looking down at herself, she saw that the dress was cut down the front right almost to her belly button. Looking over her shoulder, she found that the dress was as backless as it was possible for it to be.

She left the bathroom in annoyance.

'I look like a slut!' she exclaimed loudly. Malfoy turned around and froze, his eyes widening. For a moment he didn't say anything as his eyes took in the dress, pausing particularly at her chest, where her breasts were quite revealed due to the great split between them. His eyes travelled up to her face, then eyed her hair appreciatively.

'You won't compared to the others,' he said eventually, smirking again. Hermione blushed and turned around to hide her breasts from his view. Then she realised she didn't have any shoes.

'Here,' Malfoy said suddenly, as if he had read her mind. He was holding out a pair of heels that looked as if they were made of crystal. Hermione took them cautiously, ignoring Malfoy as he made a big deal out of not touching her hand. She placed them on the floor, leaning on the wall as she stepped into them carefully. The fit was astounding and as soon as her feet were inside them they began to sparkle more than ever. Hermione gasped at their beauty.

'Now, as for your face…' Hermione looked up in alarm as Malfoy drew his wand on her.

'_Homenun degiso!' _he said lazily, giving a slight flick of his wrist. Hermione flinched as sparks flew at her face, but they didn't hurt as they connected with her skin. When it was finished, she walked back into the bathroom to check her reflection. Malfoy followed her, his eyes on the beautiful curve of her back.

'I don't look any different,' she said, looking at his wand accusingly.

'You will only look different to everyone else. Only you and I can see you for what you are,' Hermione didn't like the way he worded himself, as if to make her feel even worse about herself than she usually did in his presence.

'Time to go,' Malfoy said, starting for the door. He paused, and held out his arm to her. She looked at him as if he was crazy.

'You are my date, remember?' he said impatiently, checking his watch. He looked incredibly handsome in his white shirt and a skinny green tie that sparkled more subtly than her dress. He shrugged himself into a crisp, black jacket which he left undone, looking like the pariah of cool, then held out his arm again. Nodding, Hermione reluctantly took his arm. As they made their way out of the room and downstairs, Hermione suddenly began to feel nervous.

'Who am I meant to be again?'

'Pearl Shadows,' he replied coldly, irritated with her for forgetting.

'And I'm an orphan?'

'Yes.'

Hermione grimaced. That shouldn't be too hard to act. She held onto his arm tightly as she almost overbalanced on the stairs - she had only worn heels once or twice in her entire life.

'Are you sure nobody will know who I am?' she whispered to him anxiously, thinking of her dream. All of a sudden, the fun had worn off and the idea of being surrounded by death eaters seemed more frightful than ever.

'Of course. Now, do everything I say tonight, and remember to look comfortable…or I'll kill you,' Malfoy hissed viciously as they entered the front hall. Hermione gulped.

--

**I'm sorry, I know this chapter was a bit of a tease for the ball! But I'm trying to draw out Hermione's torture but give her a nice moment as well to get ready, put on make up etc. She hasn't got to do that in years the poor thing and I think that deserved its own chapter! ANYWAY, next chapter is the party...lots of evilness, including Seamus, Pansy, Blaise, Narcissa and a very VERY mean blonde woman! And maybe Lucius will even make an appearance...**

**I promise I will update soon because I'm dying for you all to read the ball scene. Please let me know what you think i love to hear your feedback! Love you all :)**


	14. The Competitors

**OKAY, here is the infamous ball scene at last!! I'm sorry for the little wait, I was planning to update really quickly but I'm in the midst of the most important exams of my life at the moment so I'm actually being really really naughty writing this at all...shhh!**

**Also, I just wanted to apologise for the last chapter, at the end how I hinted that I would update sooner if people reviewed...I think I got a bit dazzled by all the amazing feedback that I was getting and got GREEDY GREEDY GREEDY so, I'm sorry that I semi-blackmailed you into reviewing. DO NOT REVIEW!! Hehe I'm just kidding, but really...only review if you want to and I'll be happy no matter what you say even if it's something along the lines of "Somebody should throw a whiskey bottle at YOUR head!" I hope I didn't offend anyone :(**

**Now on with the story...there is lots of cruelty coming Hermione's way, but not on Draco's behalf for once yay :) I hope you enjoy!**

**--**

Malfoy pulled Hermione down the hall and suddenly they were standing on the garden terrace, surrounded by a sea of people who had rushed forwards to greet Malfoy. Hermione subconsciously gripped his arm tighter - she hadn't realised how popular he was. But of course, they _were_ the oldest and most respected pureblood family still in existence. It was like he was the Dark Lord himself, or something.

Before the crowd converged Hermione made a quick calculation. There had to be at least two hundred people here. Surely one of them would recognise her? Could she really spend a whole evening fitting in with this crowd of murderers? She would just have to stay close to Malfoy - he wouldn't let her say anything to give herself a way or he would look like a fool.

'Draco!' Pansy pushed her way through the crowd and shot Hermione a death glare before turning to Malfoy. 'I've been waiting for you!' she cried, ignoring Hermione completely.

'Yeah, hey Pansy,' Malfoy said distractedly, trying to talk to a tall man whom she had pushed in front of. Hermione blinked around, unsure of what to do with herself. Everybody was staring at her - the men with looks of great interest; the women with looks of great loathing. She wondered what she looked like and by the looks she was getting came to the conclusion that it was a whole lot better than she normally did. But another part of her hissed that they were only staring because they knew who she _really_ was.

'Draco, who's your friend?' Pansy interrupted again, trying to take Malfoy's other hand. He snatched it away from her and moved his other arm that Hermione was clutching to place it around her waist instead. She had to remind herself not to cringe and forced a small smile onto her face.

'This is Pearl,' Malfoy said smoothly, squeezing Hermione gently. She shot him a reproving look but he ignored her. 'She is my date,' he added unnecessarily.

'Hello, _Pearl_,' Pansy said venomously, smiling a horrible smile at Hermione which clearly said, _Get your filthy little hands off my man._

'Hello,' Hermione replied coolly, 'You look nice.'

Out of the corner of her eye Hermione saw Malfoy smirk as he turned away to greet somebody else. He had been right - Pansy's dress was much skimpier than Hermione's. It was split past her _belly button_, her breasts popping out of it hideously. It was plain black, and Pansy had chosen a pair of bright pink heels to wear with it. As she cast a quick look around Hermione realised that _everyone _was wearing black, and the women all looked as if they were trying their hardest to out-do each other in the prostitution department. Hermione suddenly felt very classy and demure in her own dress. The men looked as if they had come straight from a funeral, their black robes flowing all the way to the floor. Suddenly it seemed strange that Malfoy was wearing a suit - she supposed that he was too important to blend in with the crowd.

'I know,' Pansy said rudely, tossing her hair and turning away now that Malfoy was no longer listening. Immediately, a young man took her place in the circle and held out his hand to Hermione.

'My name is Sandford. Jack Sandford,' he said smoothly, kissing her hand sleazily. Hermione smiled at him, trying to appear confident, and introduced herself.

'You are Draco's girlfriend, I presume?' he asked her, winking.

'Uh…I don't think so,' Hermione answered, looking around to see if Malfoy was listening. He appeared to be in the middle of a conversation with Norfolk, whose eyes were sliding past him to watch Hermione over his shoulder. Hermione suppressed a shudder. Norfolk would go after anything and anyone, it seemed.

'Perhaps you would join me in a dance, then?' Jack pressed on, still holding onto Hermione's hand.

'Er…' she glanced at Malfoy, but he clearly wasn't paying attention.

'Come on,' Jack urged, pulling her away. Malfoy's arm fell away from her waist and he didn't seem to notice as Jack led Hermione through the crowd of interested onlookers. Once they reached the edge of the gathered crowd, Hermione gasped as the rest of the garden came into view.

The lake had been completely covered by a transparent, shining dance floor. Overhead flew hundreds of fairies, casting a greenish light over the dancers. The shrubs that she and the elves had trimmed that afternoon were sparkling as well, and fountains blew streams of silvery water into the air.

'The Malfoy's sure know how to put on a party, eh?' Jack said, noticing Hermione's surprise. She nodded, her mouth still open, and let him lead her onto the dance floor. Everyone looked at her with interest as she passed, most of the women glaring at her as if she had mortally offended them. _They know, _she thought in a panic. _They know I'm a mudblood._

'So, Pearl,' Jack began as he pulled her a little closer than was necessary, 'How did you meet Draco?'

'Um…' Hermione tried to remember their story, 'I met him in a bar in London last week.'

'Last week?' Jack raised an eyebrow. 'That was fast.' Hermione tried to smile.

'Well, Malf - I mean, Draco is a very charming young man.' She tried to sound sincere but it was a real task to stop herself from gagging at the fake words coming from her mouth.

'That he is,' Jack agreed quickly, and Hermione had the distinct impression that he wouldn't dare say anything else, especially to Malfoy's own date. 'You, though…' he glanced around and grinned at her, 'I hope you realise every man here is staring at you.'

'Really?' Hermione asked innocently, as if she hadn't noticed.

'You must be used to that, though,' he went on. Hermione had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes. _What a sleaze._

'Not at all,' she replied. He grinned at her.

'Right now, I'm the luckiest man at this party,' he pulled her closer and Hermione clenched her teeth as his hands groped her waist greedily.

'Sorry to break up your fun, but it's time I cut in,' said a cold voice from behind her. Jack jumped away from her instantly and for once in her life Hermione was relieved to see Malfoy standing before her.

'Sorry, Draco!' Jack said quickly, bowing slightly. He grasped Hermione's hand and kissed it slowly until Malfoy cleared his throat loudly. 'Right, off I go,' he said hastily, staring at Hermione over his shoulder as he went.

Malfoy took his place, sliding a hand smoothly around Hermione's back and taking her right with his left. With some relief she placed her hand on his shoulder and let him guide her around the dance floor. At least with Malfoy she didn't have to force smiles and conversation. It barely even registered that she was touching him as her eyes slid around to see if she recognised anyone.

'Do you have any idea what I look like?' she hissed at him quietly so nobody would hear.

'It can't be too far off how you look to me right now,' he replied, his eyes looking down at her breasts which he had a terrific view of from his vertical angle.

'Stop looking at them!' she hissed at him, stepping on his foot. He smirked at her and led her around the floor with ease. Obviously he'd done this a hundred times before.

'I don't think Pearl would mind me staring at her body,' he said out of the corner of his mouth as he nodded to a dancing couple nearby. Hermione mentally slapped herself. _I'm going to give myself away!_

'Right,' Hermione mumbled, feeling extremely uncomfortable suddenly. She hoped she wouldn't have to spend the evening acting like his whore, hanging off him and letting him squeeze her whenever he wanted.

'Mudblood, you are still my slave, remember?'

'Sorry, Master,' Hermione muttered dully.

'That's better.'

They were silent as they danced, Hermione grateful that he knew what he was doing because she didn't have a clue. She saw Narcissa over the other side of the floor entertaining a large group of women. She saw - her heart jumping - Bellatrix Lestrange standing with a drink in her hand, looking bored beyond belief as man after man approached her hopefully. She ignored them expertly and Hermione supposed she was sour because Voldemort wasn't coming. Hermione wasn't complaining though - she had a terrible suspicion that if he were here he would sniff her out in less a second.

'Everyone's looking at you,' Malfoy muttered after a while, sounding annoyed.

'Why do you care…Master?' Hermione asked him. Being out in the open like this had had the opposite affect on her to what she'd thought - she had imagined being on guard the entire night and being questioned by a bunch of suspicious Death Eaters. But she didn't feel trapped at all and nobody was any the wiser as to her real identity. She felt freer, like she could be herself again. Or at least, a little. Although of course she still had to be polite to him, but Malfoy couldn't exactly hit her or anything when they were surrounded by people.

'You're mine,' he growled, holding her tighter. Hermione yelped in pain until he loosened his grip. Perhaps, she decided, it would be better if she tried to be more a touch _more _kind to him.

'The girls are staring at me too,' Hermione reminded him. This seemed to amuse Malfoy greatly.

'That's because they're jealous that you're sleeping with me.'

Hermione blushed, suddenly very aware that she was dancing with him. It felt so strange to be touching him in a non-hostile way. His hand wrapped around hers easily, holding her delicately. His hand on her back was strong and firm against her skin. Hermione wondered if he was expecting her to kiss him later. Though it wouldn't matter to him anyway because she would have to play along no matter what he did.

'Draco, there you are!' said a sudden voice. Malfoy groaned and they stopped dancing, but his arm remained tight around her waist as Narcissa hurried towards them. Hermione realised that she had been wrong in believing that everybody was wearing black; Narcissa was wearing a beautiful gown of deep, blood red. She also looked quite a bit classier than her guests. Her bold choice of colour cemented Hermione's earlier suspicions that the Malfoy's definitely wanted to stand out from the crowd. She kissed her son on both cheeks as Malfoy smiled, looking pained.

'Hello, Mother,' he said through gritted teeth, kissing her hand. Narcissa's eyes shifted immediately to Hermione.

'Draco, introduce me to your friend!' she said delightedly. Hermione had to envy Malfoy at that moment - it was clear that she adored her son more than anything in the world. Well, except perhaps herself. She missed that, having someone to love her.

'Mother, this is Pearl Shadows,' Malfoy said lazily. Narcissa swooped on Hermione and pulled her into a tight hug. When she released her, Hermione fell back feeling stunned. Malfoy smirked.

'It is such a pleasure to meet you!' Narcissa cried. Hermione smiled.

'You too, Mrs Malfoy,' she said politely.

'Dear, call me Narcissa!' she said happily, beaming at her son. Malfoy rolled his eyes at her and opened his mouth to say something when Blaise Zabini suddenly appeared by his side.

'Draco,' he nodded, shaking his hand.

'Zabini,' Malfoy nodded at him in return, looking relieved at the interruption. Blaise looked at Hermione interestedly.

'Miss Shadows, I've already heard your name being spread around,' he bowed to her and kissed her hand as Jack had done. Hermione felt herself blushing as Malfoy scowled.

'Would you mind getting us a drink, Zabini?' he said loudly. Blaise nodded and raced away quickly. Hermione was astounded by the power the Malfoy's held over everyone else. It was amazing.

'So, Father will be here at midnight, I presume?' Malfoy asked Narcissa casually. Hermione noticed he didn't seem too happy about it.

'Oh, you know your father,' Narcissa said absentmindedly as she nodded to some passers-by, 'Always the big entrance. Has to be the most important person in the room.'

Malfoy laughed dryly.

'He's _always_ the most important person in the room. With one exception, of course.'

Blaise appeared with two drinks, which he handed to Malfoy and Hermione with a flourish. Hermione sipped hers and choked slightly - she hadn't really tasted alcohol before except for Malfoy's whiskey. This was entirely too strong for her. She would have to be careful or she'd get drunk and probably fall into the lake, earning herself a year's worth of whippings.

'Mrs Malfoy, would you care to dance?' Blaise asked Narcissa innocently, bowing low to her. Narcissa giggled and accepted.

'We will talk later,' she promised Hermione warmly. She smiled nervously back at her.

'Draco,' Blaise nodded again, 'Miss Shadows,' he smiled at Hermione, but Hermione shot him a very stern look, staring pointedly at Narcissa. Blaise looked shocked, then quickly led Narcissa away looking worried. As soon as they were gone she breathed a sigh of relief.

'That wasn't so bad,' she muttered more to herself than to Malfoy. He chuckled softly.

'My mother is the only woman here who will be polite to you. The rest will rip you to shreds. I can't wait,' he added nastily. Hermione gulped and took a large sip of her cocktail.

'Go easy on the drinks,' Malfoy said to her quietly. His own was already half finished - Hermione supposed he was used to drinking.

'Do you get sick of everyone treating you like a God?' she asked him. Malfoy smirked.

'Not at all,' he said. Hermione rolled her eyes and took another sip. She choked again and Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her.

'You've never had alcohol before, have you?'

'Not really,' she admitted. Malfoy seemed to find this incredibly amusing.

'Well then,' he whispered, pulling her close to begin dancing again, 'you'll have to watch yourself. You wouldn't like to get too drunk in my presence, would you?'

Hermione gulped and decided she wouldn't have another drop of her cocktail. And just as she had began to feel a little bit at ease, almost enjoying herself. But after what seemed like hours of dancing, which was continually interrupted by newcomers who came to fawn over Malfoy and gawp at Hermione openly, Hermione found to her great surprise that her drink was entirely gone.

'Still feeling alright?' Malfoy smirked at her as someone suddenly handed her a new drink, as if it would be a crime for her to be standing with an empty glass.

'Thank you,' Hermione said icily to the man who had handed her a drink. He winked at her, then cowered under the furious glare that Malfoy gave him.

'That will be all, Tullen,' he said, and the man sloped off disappointedly.

'I don't like this,' Malfoy glared at Hermione as if she had done something wrong.

'Sorry,' she stammered, scared of his anger. Perhaps she was acting too happily for his liking. She decided to be as submissive as possible for the rest of the night. So far it hadn't been so bad - no one had seemed suspicious of her at all. She had been able to answer everyone's questions easily enough, with Malfoy smirking at her side, enjoying her discomfort immensely. More than a few times Hermione had the urge to throw her drink over his infuriatingly handsome face. _Then _they would see who was squirming!

'Draco,' Pansy was back.

'Hey, babe,' Malfoy said coolly and Pansy practically melted on the spot.

'Come dance with me,' she said, tugging on his arm. Malfoy let her pull him away, leaving Hermione standing on the edge of the dance floor by herself. Hermione didn't understand how he felt about Pansy. One minute, he seemed to hate her. Next, he was having sex with her in the lake right beneath where she was standing at that very moment. When they had first arrived he had completely ignored her, but now he seemed content to let her drool all over him. Hermione thought Pansy could do with a little more pride - the way she threw herself at him was sickening. Though, she seemed to think that it worked. And it did, at least some of the time.

So Hermione strolled away, sick of watching Pansy trying to flirt with the man she was meant to be dating. She walked past Blaise and Narcissa who were still dancing together. Blaise looked at her slightly nervously and moved his hand away from Narcissa's lower back, but Hermione smiled at him. She didn't want him to get too suspicious that she knew something - who knew what he would do?

'Well, well, well,' a cold voice called from behind her. Hermione turned to see a group of women sitting at the edge of the dance floor, each sipping a cocktail and looking supremely pretty yet ugly at the same time. Hermione looked to see who had spoken and saw a blonde woman eyeing her nastily. She remembered what Malfoy had told her - don't speak unless you're spoken to. So she made do with a tiny nod and waited for them to speak.

'So, _Pearl_,' the blonde woman started, 'How is Draco treating you in bed?'

The women laughed loudly and Hermione felt herself blushing furiously. She couldn't believe they would be so forward as to say such a thing to her!

'Well?' the woman said nastily.

'Um…fine,' Hermione stammered, unsure of how to answer that particular question. The women exchanged glances and laughed again.

'You may have got him for the night, but you'll be out on your ass by the morning,' a red-headed woman hissed at her. This earned another round of laughter from the women as Hermione's mouth opened and closed while she tried unsuccessfully to think of something to say.

'Oh, look at that! You've hurt her feelings!' a third woman said. Several people nearby had stopped to watch interestedly. Hermione noticed that there seemed to be no men nearby and wondered if it was only alone that the women could let out their claws.

'You didn't think he really _liked_ you, did you?' the first blonde woman cackled cruelly. 'You're just his latest whore!'

Hermione was shaking with anger. It wasn't so much what they were saying - of course Malfoy didn't like her! - but it was that they dared to at his own party, to his own _date_. Malfoy had been right - they _were_ ripping her to shreds. Suddenly the blonde woman leaned towards her menacingly.

'You keep your hands off him if you know what's good for you,' she hissed so that only Hermione could hear. 'He is mine, understood?'

Hermione looked at her in alarm and nodded quickly. She had no idea who this woman was, but the way her eyes kept longingly creeping across the garden to Malfoy suggested to Hermione that they had dated - and that Malfoy had dumped her, as he had undoubtedly done to every woman here. Before they could rip into her again, she quickly walked away feeling slightly dazed.

'Finally, I've got you alone again,' said a voice in Hermione's ear. She turned, startled, to see Jack Sandford grinning at her, holding up a pair of drinks. Sighing, Hermione finished the remains of the drink she already had in her hand and took the one he offered her reluctantly.

'Would you like to go for a walk?' he asked her eagerly. Hermione glanced over to the dance floor.

'Just a walk,' Jack said quickly, seeing where she was looking. Hermione shrugged and smiled. Anything was better than being near those women.

'Sure, why not?' they made they way away from the dance floor down a path that Hermione hadn't been down before. As the sound of the party gradually faded away, Jack resumed their conversation from earlier.

'So, you and Draco, eh?'

'Yes, me and Draco,' Hermione said. Saying his first name felt so strange to her.

'He's a lucky man,' Jack said wistfully.

'In more ways than one,' Hermione agreed, thinking of the way Narcissa coddled him.

'Definitely. More power than God,' Jack laughed, 'Though I supposed you already know that?'

'Oh, I've been watching here and there,' Hermione said vaguely. Jack laughed.

'It must be hard for you, having to put up with it.'

'Not really, it's interesting to watch,' Hermione replied honestly.

'Doesn't it make you jealous, though? All those girls falling all over him?'

'It doesn't bother me,' Hermione said. And she was telling the truth, although he couldn't know that. She didn't care at all what Malfoy did with himself, as long as it wasn't involving her.

'You're really something, then,' Jack said, stopping suddenly to face her. Hermione looked at him suspiciously, and as if reading her mind Jack quickly began walking again.

'How do _you_ know Malf -Draco?' she asked curiously.

'My father's good friends with Lucius,' he said easily, 'And I'm to be marked next year.'

'Marked?' Hermione said curiously. Jack looked at her as if she was thick.

'The Dark Mark,' he said, indicating his left arm.

'Oh! Sorry, how stupid of me,' Hermione tried to laugh. 'So, how old are you?'

'Twenty-two. And you?'

'Uh…' Hermione suddenly realised that her last two birthdays had gone by without notice, 'Eighteen,' she said finally, quickly checking with herself if that was right. She was pretty sure that it was. It was midway through August now so she would be nineteen soon. As this thought occurred to her Hermione suddenly had the overwhelming need to cry. Perhaps the house elves would bake her a cake? Jack looked at her curiously and quickly she smiled to show she was okay.

'Young love, huh?'

'Mm,' Hermione pursed her lips. But a sudden thought hit her - maybe Jack knew about Malfoy's mission. Maybe she could get information out of him.

'Been up to much lately?' she asked casually. Jack shrugged.

'Just the usual. Muggle-hunting,' he mimed blasting something with his wand and laughed. Hermione quickly joined in, feeling slightly sick inside. It was so strange to think that these people, who seemed to normal and friendly, were really just cold-hearted killers.

'With Draco?' she pressed on innocently. Jack looked at her uncertainly.

'No, I don't know what Draco's been up to. No one does,' he said slowly. 'Except…'

'Go on,' Hermione urged, lightly touching his arm to encourage him on.

'Well, there was rumour amongst the death eaters last month…'

'Yes?' Hermione pressed, her grip tightening. Jack looked down at her hand and seemed heartened by it. He opened his mouth eagerly, as if dying to tell her whatever he could to make her touch him.

'I heard that he was ordered to -'

'What's this?' said a cold voice behind them. Both of them jumped and Hermione dropped her drink, furious that they had been interrupted just when she was about to find out what Malfoy had done to make him so upset.

'Seamus!' Jack said. Hermione froze and turned to see Seamus Finnigan strolling towards them out of the darkness. He too was not wearing robes, but a white shirt like Malfoy. His tie was black and hanging loosely around his neck, his black jacket slung over his shoulder. Hermione wondered fleetingly how Malfoy felt about his friend stealing his thunder, but Seamus obviously didn't care one little bit.

'Sandford,' Seamus said coldly, his eyes on Hermione. 'What are you two doing all alone out here?'

'We were just talking,' Jack said hastily, glancing at Hermione.

'Oh, were you?' Seamus' eyes were glinting at Hermione. 'I'm not sure Draco would be too happy with you if he knew you were trying to lure his girl off on her own.'

'We were just talking,' Jack repeated uneasily.

'You right there, Pearl?' Seamus said, ignoring him.

'We were just talking,' Hermione said quietly, confirming Jack's words as Seamus obviously didn't consider him worth listening to. Seamus never failed to instil fear into her veins. It wiggled through her uncomfortably - but it was a different fear than what she felt for Malfoy. When she looked into his eyes she could hear voices from the past…Ron's, mostly… as if he was haunting her.

'I'll escort you back,' Seamus insisted, holding his hand out to her. Hermione looked at Jack. 'Come, Pearl,' Seamus commanded. Giving Jack a look of apology, she took his hand reluctantly.

'I'll see you later,' she said to Jack, but Seamus laughed.

'Sandford, I believe Draco wants to have a few _words_ with you later,' he said maliciously. Jack gulped as Seamus began to lead Hermione back towards the party. As soon as they were out of earshot, Seamus leant towards her to whisper in her ear.

'I know it's you, mudblood,' he hissed. Hermione started and looked at him in alarm.

'How did you - ?'

'I could smell a mudblood from a mile off,' he laughed coldly and Hermione wrenched her arm from his grasp, marching ahead. But he caught up with her easily. 'Draco told me. He ordered me to come get you.'

'And you always do everything Malfoy says?' Hermione said coolly. Unlike Malfoy she felt no need to obey Seamus or treat him with any respect whatsoever. She hated this man more than anyone else in the world. He was a traitor and a murderer.

'Maybe,' he said casually, catching her arm again. He pulled on it hard until she stopped walking and he turned to look at her, quickly glancing around to make sure they were alone.

'If I catch you walking off again tonight, I will personally make sure you are skinned to within an inch of your life,' Seamus whispered dangerously. 'Understood?'

'I was just talking to him -' Hermione began, but he cut her off angrily.

'I don't care if you were _fucking _him_!_' he hissed. 'You will _never escape from here, _you hear me?'

Hermione winced as he shook her hard. And suddenly she felt like a fool - she could have tried to escape with Jack. He would have taken her anywhere she wanted without a second's thought, that much was obvious. She had blown her chance though. And besides, she had nowhere to go. Everywhere out there was worse than here.

'You understand me?' Seamus repeated.

'You're hurting me,' Hermione whimpered as his fingers cut into her arm. He paid no notice.

'You understand?' he growled. Hermione nodded her head vigorously.

'Yes!' she gasped. Seamus released her, his hand moving to the small of her back instead so that he could guide her back to the party.

'I can see why Draco chose you for his slave,' he suddenly smirked, his fingers gently tracing the curve of her back. Hermione shivered and hurried her pace to try to evade him. As the sound of the party came back within earshot, she sped up again. Seamus kept up with her easily, his hand still caressing her and making Hermione want to be sick.

They reached the dance floor, and Hermione saw Draco immediately. He was surrounded by a new crowd of people, but he was looking around distractedly.

'Draco!' she called, the name sounding completely foreign to her lips. Anything to get away from Seamus. Malfoy looked relieved to see her, and beckoned her over. She slotted between the crowd and stood by his side. He eyed her suspiciously, but she didn't dare look at him. Someone passed her a drink and Hermione sipped it absentmindedly. She felt her head spin suddenly and clutched to Malfoy's arm.

'Time to dance,' Malfoy said firmly to make everybody leave. They did so immediately, and Malfoy plucked Hermione's drink from her grasp and handed it to one of them as they left.

'Where were you?' he said furiously, gripping her rather harder than he should.

'I was with Jack Sandford,' she said, hoping the truth would be best. Malfoy's face darkened.

'I saw him watching you earlier,' he growled.

'I'm really sorry,' Hermione stammered quickly as she took one look at the cold fury shining from his eyes. He looked at her somewhat surprisedly.

'You've been very obedient tonight,' he mused with a hint of curiosity.

'I…I just don't want you to hurt me,' Hermione whispered. Inexplicably, she suddenly felt as if she was about to burst into tears for the second time that night. It was Seamus. He got under her skin more quickly than anybody else she had ever met. Malfoy stared at her expressionlessly, then resumed his earlier comments.

'Sandford will pay for taking you away from the party,' he said savagely. Hermione felt a jolt of guilt for Jack - although he was rather sleazy, he had been quite nice. Perhaps she could take Malfoy's mind off him.

'I still don't see why it bothers you. I don't see why you didn't just bring _Pansy_.'

Malfoy glowered at her as he led her around the floor, the lake glittering beneath their feet.

'I can have her anytime,' he said coolly.

'I noticed,' Hermione muttered. Malfoy snickered. He knew that she was referring to the time when he had taken her in the lake.

'Spying on us, were you?' Hermione felt herself blushing.

'No! I was just -'

'Spying,' Malfoy finished, chuckling softly. 'Liked what you saw?'

'No!' Hermione said angrily. Malfoy smirked, his hand massaging her hip sensually. He leaned forwards so that his mouth was practically touching her ear.

'Well…I certainly like what _I _see…' he whispered. When he leaned back, his eyes had a new desire in them that Hermione had seen before. She laughed uneasily, conscious that people were still watching them.

'You could have any girl here!' she tried to divert his attention again, but it didn't work.

'None of them look as incredible as you,' he said softly, leaning again towards her. The more-than-rare compliment went straight over Hermione's head as his lips brushed against her neck. Hermione blushed as she noticed everybody nearby was looking on with interest.

'That's not true,' she muttered, her eyes drifting shut as Malfoy's lips teased her skin. She suddenly felt light and dizzy, as if she would drift away. How many drinks had she had? She'd lost count…

'Let's get out of here,' Malfoy purred into her ear. Hermione gulped.

'We c- can't…it's almost midnight,' she said. Malfoy's head suddenly snapped up as he looked down at his watch.

'Shit,' he muttered. 'Two minutes.'

Right on cue, Narcissa appeared at his side.

'Draco, it's time,' she cooed, taking him firmly by the arm. Everybody seemed to dissolve to the sides of the dance floor as Narcissa pulled Malfoy and Hermione to the middle of the now empty floor. Hermione glanced around nervously. Everything had fallen silent, and all eyes were on them.

'Beloved guests,' Narcissa called to the crowd as Malfoy hung back looking halfway between bored and apprehensive, 'on behalf of my family I thank you all for coming. You honour us with your presence. Now, I'd like to invite you all to raise your glasses to my husband…_Lucius._'

As Hermione watched with fear growing in her stomach, everyone raised their glass to the sky and threw back their heads as if waiting for something. Malfoy nudged her sharply and she followed suit as he passed her yet another cocktail glass. For several seconds there was complete stillness and silence as everyone waited. Then, above their heads, a sudden ball of light appeared.

Hermione held her breath. _Here comes the king…_

_--_

**Ahh, that was a really fun scene to write! Jack Sandford really annoys me for some reason. Hermione belongs to Draco! Seamus is pure evil as per usual. Pansy is a slut as per usual. And Narcissa is ...nice?! Not as per usual!**

**Next chapter: Lucius finally makes his big entry...and much _much_ more! I promise it'll be a good one ;)**

**Love you all my lovely readers xxx**


	15. The Moral Man

**Hi everyone. I am so sorry for the big wait for this chapter - I finished school this week and had graduation dinners, etc, so I've been really busy lately. But it was really touching to see you so anxious for the next chapter and don't worry, I wouldn't abadon this story now! Thank you especially to tigerlily3489, your messages made me feel really special and I kept trying to find the time to update just for you. ****I'm a bit too busy to reply to reviews that needed answering right now but I will get to it eventually.**

**Anyway, back to the story. It was a real cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter...so now, here's Lucius, more Seamus (he's hiding something really really shocking!) and finally, I guarantee that this chapter will leave you speechless. Or at least I hope it will...Malfoy will do something to make your jaw drop...so, read on and enjoy!**

**--**

Everybody was silent as they gazed at the ball of light that had appeared above their heads. As Hermione watched, shielding her eyes in the brilliant light, it turned green, then black. And then it was growing bigger and bigger, until suddenly it burst into a thousand shards that flew off into the night sky.

And then, out of nowhere, Lucius floated down to land lightly on the dance floor, his black cloak billowing behind him and his arms held out wide in a welcoming gesture. A big smile was plastered across his face. The crowd burst into wild applause and drank deeply from their glasses. Quickly, Hermione downed her own and immediately wished she hadn't as her head swam.

Narcissa rushed forwards to greet her husband. They kissed for a long moment as every person watched in unhidden interest. These people were like royalty to them, every scrap of their lives like a piece of golden gossip to spread to their friends. After they broke apart Lucius put his arm around her shoulders, though Hermione noticed he did not wrap it around her comfortingly but place it on her shoulder, gripping her as if she were a doll with his hand menacing and claw-like. Narcissa didn't seem bothered by this but delighted to have her husband back by her side.

'How good it is to see you all!' Lucius boomed to the crowd, who beamed back at him. 'Where is my son?' he asked, turning his head in every direction expectantly. Every head turned to look at Malfoy, who stepped forward resignedly.

'Hello, Father,' he said coldly, though Hermione doubted that anybody else noticed his tone but her. Lucius strode forwards and stopped short, looking at his son appraisingly. They were the same height, yet Malfoy seemed to shrink before his father. Both held their heads high, their shoulders thrown back. They did not shake hands or hug or smile, and Lucius' gaze shifted to Hermione. His face cracked into a delighted grin just as Narcissa's had, yet it didn't quite seem to defrost the chill in his eyes.

'And who is this?' he asked, bowing low to Hermione. She could feel her cheeks burning as she curtsied as best as she could to him, suppressing the urge to turn and run screaming from the man before her. His mere presence was intimidating and made her heart race.

'Lucius, this is Draco's girlfriend!' Narcissa cooed as she came to join them. The crowd had resumed dancing around them, though they maintained a wide, respectful berth.

'Really?' Lucius said, smiling at Hermione. She tried to smile back as he took her hand and kissed it softly, with none of the sleaziness or desperation of the other men that Hermione had met tonight. Hermione was struck by his kindness, but in her head swam the look of terror that each house elf had worn when they heard he'd be returning.

'Father, this is Pearl Shadows,' Draco said lazily, his hands in his pockets. Narcissa shot him a reproving look, which he returned dully.

'Shadows?' Lucius scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. 'I don't believe I know the name. Who is your father?'

'Um…he's dead, Sir. My mother, too,' Hermione said nervously, glancing at Malfoy. He nodded subtly.

'Oh, I am sorry,' Lucius said silkily, his deep voice seeming to boom out of him with no effort whatsoever. 'Who do you live with?' he pressed on. Hermione looked startled, but Malfoy came to her rescue.

'Honestly, Father, you can talk later. We would like to dance,' he said impatiently, gripping Hermione's wrist. Lucius smiled and bowed again.

'By all means, we will talk later,' he said, turning to his wife. Hermione stared after them in shock. She had expected outright rudeness, coldness and hostility. Where was the monster everyone was so scared of? Could this man really be putting on such an act?

Hermione noticed out of the corner of her eye Blaise watching Narcissa and Lucius wistfully. She supposed his days of fun were over. As she watched the crowd converged on the two of them as they had done to her and Malfoy earlier. Obviously Lucius was even more powerful than his son. But Hermione already knew that.

'Annoying, isn't he?' Malfoy muttered darkly, glaring at his father over her shoulder.

'I thought he was very nice,' Hermione said timidly. Malfoy let out a bark of laughter.

'Sure, nice,' he muttered.

'I was expecting the devil himself,' Hermione admitted. Malfoy's face darkened.

'You will meet the real him soon enough,' he said icily. If looks could kill she was sure that Malfoy would have just murdered his father on the spot. Hermione had never seen him like this. She wondered how much _he'd_ had to drink.

'Maybe you should put your glass down,' she suggested gently, trying to pry it from his grasp. She didn't want to be stuck with an exceptionally drunk and angry Malfoy, particularly when she was still feeling light-headed herself.

'Oh, I'm fine,' he said, downing it quickly and handing it to a girl who was passing by. She looked delighted and hurried off, undoubtedly to tell her friends what had just happened.

'You don't _seem_ fine.'

'Shut up, mudblood,' Malfoy said. Hermione was hurt. So far the evening had been almost pleasant - at least, where Malfoy was concerned. It looked like the night was ruined, though.

'Sorry,' she murmured, swaying with him to the music. He looked at her.

'Let's change subjects,' he said, throwing one last glare at his father, who was talking animatedly to a crowd of men and women. They roared with laughter, and Malfoy flinched, looking sickened.

'So, Sandford wants you bad,' Malfoy said, looking back to Hermione. She blushed again and looked away from him.

'I don't think so,' she muttered embarrassedly. If Malfoy had seen the way Jack had been looking at her before when they were alone, he wouldn't be talking so casually about it.

'Oh, yes he does. Along with every other man here,' he added, suddenly shooting an icy stare at a nearby pair of men. They quickly stopped gaping at Hermione's backside and scampered away. Hermione shook her head.

'Your spell must have made me beautiful.'

'It's not the spell,' Malfoy said. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

'What do you mean?' Malfoy smirked.

'It's the way you look in that dress.'

Hermione felt herself reddening but inside she was secretly pleased. This was the first time in years that she'd had the chance to feel beautiful. Although the attention she was getting was rather annoying and not exactly of pure intentions, it flattered her immensely. And the fact that Malfoy was complimenting her…well, miracles must happen after all. Although she thought the alcohol was definitely helping his mood - he was being almost civil to her.

'It's not me at all,' she insisted, 'You picked the most beautiful dress I've ever seen.'

'No,' Malfoy shook his head, 'You know, I'm considering making this your uniform from now on.'

'This is much too special for me to ruin it!' Hermione exclaimed. Malfoy laughed.

'Something similar, then,' he traced a finger along her shoulder and down her chest, following the cut in the fabric. He groaned.

'You're teasing me, Granger.' Hermione looked startled.

'I'm not doing anything!' she said, affronted.

'I know,' Malfoy groaned, his eyes fixed on her chest. Hermione began to feel uneasy.

'Maybe it's time I left,' she suggested hopefully. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. And if he'd had a few drinks, he would be as unpredictable as hell.

'I don't think so,' Malfoy murmured, his lips moving towards her, 'You're not leaving with anyone but me.'

Hermione could feel her heart hammering against her chest as his lips brushed against her jaw, making their way towards her mouth. He kissed her hard and Hermione had no choice but to kiss him back as they were still surrounded by the ever-watchful crowd of admirers. Taking advantage of the situation he had her in, Malfoy pushed her lips apart with his tongue and explored her mouth eagerly.

Hermione moaned softly in frustration - she didn't want this. Not now. Not ever. His lips felt wonderful but she was almost certain that it was just the alcohol playing tricks on her. Her thoughts were still fuzzy and she wished she hadn't had that last drink to toast Lucius. As if the world was conspiring against her, the woman who Malfoy had given his empty glass to suddenly reappeared with two fresh ones, handing them eagerly to the pair of them. Hermione suppressed a groan of frustration as she took it, and as the woman looked on expectantly she was obliged to take a sip. Malfoy didn't touch his own and watched her carefully, looking satisfied.

'Thank you,' he said to the woman, who looked thrilled as she curtsied and left. Turning back to Hermione, he pressed her glass to her lips.

'Drink up,' he ordered, forcing it down her throat. Hermione resisted the urge to gag and forced the liquid down her throat, her thoughts growing fuzzier by the second.

'I've had enough,' she murmured, but Malfoy shook his head and handed her his glass.

'Have this,' he commanded. Hermione moaned, staggering slightly, but she was saved as Seamus suddenly clasped Malfoy on the shoulder.

'Don't you love family reunions, Draco?' he said, his voice full of malicious laughter. Draco scowled at him.

'No,' he said spitefully. As he turned to talk to Seamus, Hermione carefully tipped her drink onto the floor, making sure not to hit her dress. He was trying to get her drunk, that she was sure of. Why, however, she did not know. She was just thinking about casually strolling off when their conversation took an interesting turn.

'How's business, Finnigan?' Malfoy asked. Seamus shrugged.

'So, so. Got that family I was after last night.'

'Who were they?' Seamus furrowed his brow, thinking hard.

'We went to school with them. Hufflepuffs…'

Malfoy laughed coldly.

'No Hufflepuffs are worth remembering.'

'True,' Seamus grinned as Hermione glared at the pair of them, resisting the urge to slap them both across the face. That _might_ arouse suspicion…

'What are _you_ staring at, mudblood?' Seamus suddenly asked her. Hermione glared at him.

'What _happened_ to you?' she demanded. It was a question that she had been burning to ask since her first night at the Manor, and only now did she feel brave enough to do so. Both men laughed.

'Life's life, mudblood. I picked the winning side.'

'But your friends, your family -'

'They were nothing to me,' he said darkly. Hermione shook her head in disbelief, her head swimming at her movement.

'Who _are _you?' she asked in amazement. Seamus grinned at her and Hermione was suddenly struck by the idea that he was a vampire. His teeth looked menacing in the light of the moon.

'Don't remember, do you, mudblood?' he said finally. Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion.

'Remember what?'

'That's enough,' Malfoy interrupted smoothly, snatching a glass from a man who walked by. The man bowed to him deeply and then to Seamus. Seamus nodded to him, walking away to join him in conversation without a backward glance.

'What was he talking about?' Hermione asked Malfoy as soon as they were gone.

'Nothing,' Malfoy said quickly. Hermione glowered at him but knew he would never tell her.

'He's a monster!' she cried after him, only loud enough for Malfoy to hear. In her anger she took the glass that Malfoy offered her and drank without thinking.

'If he's a monster what does that make me?' Malfoy asked, smirking as he pulled her close to begin dancing again.

'You're a…you're…' Hermione was struggling to find words as the floor seemed to spin around her. God, that Seamus. She hated him.

'Charming?' Malfoy asked innocently.

'No,' Hermione said firmly.

'Handsome?'

'No.'

'What, then?'

Hermione scanned her furry thoughts.

'Evil.' Malfoy laughed.

'Not very original. I expected better of you, _Pearl_.'

He tugged her around the floor effortlessly as Hermione groaned.

'Let me go,' she demanded. Malfoy laughed.

'No.'

'I don't feel well.'

'That's your own fault.'

'I don't feel well _at all_.'

'I told you not to get drunk.' Malfoy said completely unfairly, seeing as he had just been shoving drinks down her throat.

'Let me go, please,' Hermione begged him. The world seemed to be tipping on its hinges.

'No.'

'I want to go to bed,' she moaned. Malfoy smirked and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

'Let's go to bed, then,' he murmured in a low voice.

Hermione pushed him back and looked at him.

'I meant…I want to go to _my_ bed.' Malfoy laughed and took her hand.

'Mine will be much more comfortable,' he assured her as he began to lead her off the dance floor. People watched as they walked past, several women waving at Malfoy. He ignored them but clasped hands with a few men who passed by. They winked at Hermione and gave Malfoy a knowing look which made Hermione want to be sick. In fact, she thought she _might_ be sick…

'Please let me go,' Hermione begged him as she stumbled slightly, but Malfoy ignored her as he led her inside. She could do nothing to resist him - she was in no state to put up a fight and she couldn't arouse suspicion when there were so many dangerous witnesses around. He half carried her up the stairs and down the long corridor to his room, the doors sliding open as they approached. Once the doors had shut behind them Malfoy let go of Hermione and strolled over to his liquor cabinet.

'Drink?' he asked her, holding out a glass. Hermione groaned and leaned against the door, hoping it would open for her. Suddenly Malfoy was right beside her, prying her hands away from the door.

'You'll be much more comfortable on the bed,' he said softly. Hermione gazed at him, her eyes swimming in and out of focus, and nodded slowly.

'Yes,' she murmured, stumbling forwards. Malfoy guided her towards the bed and she lay back onto it, sighing contentedly. 'Much better.'

Malfoy smirked. 'Told you.'

Hermione groaned again and rolled over, closing her eyes.

'I want to sleep,' she muttered, curling up. She dimly felt the bed sink as Malfoy sat down beside her, watching her. He kicked his shoes and socks off, stretching his feet.

'Have a good night?' he asked.

'Yes,' Hermione murmured sleepily.

'Really?' Malfoy raised his eyebrows, surprised.

'Didn't…you?' It was becoming hard for her to string words together.

'Not really,' Malfoy sighed, staring out the window. They could hear the music faintly from below and the quiet chatter of voices.

'Your mum…nice,' Hermione mumbled.

'She _can_ be,' Malfoy corrected her. He wasn't sure why he was talking to her - usually he just took what he wanted and left. He could take her right now and she wouldn't be able to stop him. But in her drunken state it was almost a comfort to talk to her, knowing that he could say anything and she wouldn't remember it.

'She's a bit…slut,' Hermione said sleepily. Malfoy laughed as he shrugged off his jacket and threw his tie lazily across the floor.

'You're not talking sense now.'

'No,' Hermione insisted, 'She…slut.'

'You're confusing her with Pansy.'

'She…slut too,' Hermione muttered.

'She was jealous of you,' Malfoy said triumphantly.

'Mm.' Hermione rolled over and found herself staring up at Malfoy. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. 'Jack mealous ovou.'

Malfoy looked confused for a moment by her incoherent speech then growled as he understood.

'Sandford will pay for taking you away from me like that.'

'Just talkin…' Hermione insisted.

'He wanted you,' Malfoy growled. Hermione smiled vaguely.

'All of 'em…wanted…' she gestured sloppily to herself, and Malfoy followed her gaze. From his angle he could see the lovely curve of her breast. Reaching out, he traced his fingers down her front and Hermione sighed in content.

'Only I get to have you, though,' Malfoy breathed, lying down beside her. Hermione groaned.

'No,' she tried to push his hand away. 'Don't,' she urged him, but Malfoy ignored her. In her state it would be more than easy to take her. And he wouldn't even feel guilty about it. He wouldn't.

'I've waited so long for this,' he murmured, his lips tracing along her neck. Hermione moaned faintly, trying to roll away from him, but Malfoy held her down effortlessly.

'Please…' she begged him groggily, turning to try and focus her gaze on him. Malfoy took the opportunity to kiss her roughly on the lips and she whimpered gently against him. Holding her arms down against the bed, Malfoy trailed his lips down her collarbone, following the split of her dress down her stomach. Hermione struggled dimly against him but she was moaning softly in enjoyment. That damn alcohol could sure play tricks on the body and mind. Malfoy knew he had her.

Slowly he reached up and undid the clasp of her dress, sliding it bit by bit down her body. His breath caught in his throat as her breasts were revealed to him - he was _so close _to what he wanted - but he continued down her body, slipping the dress off and letting it drop to the floor. He climbed on top of her, careful not squash her, and Hermione whimpered. The alcohol was making her brain hazy. She couldn't think straight through the fog.

'It's okay,' he purred, his hands encircling her breasts delicately. He cupped them in his hands softly and leaned forwards to capture her nipple in his mouth. Hermione moaned and arched her back. Her body was betraying her, she could feel it happening. Moisture pooled between her legs as he sucked and licked at her burning skin. Malfoy kept his right hand massaging her breast as his left traced its way down her stomach, feeling her shiver at his touch. He reached the top of her underwear, the pair he had chosen specifically for her to wear for his pleasure, and his hand slipped inside.

His fingers immediately found her slit and Hermione let out a little gasp of pleasure. Malfoy groaned and gritted his teeth as he felt her wetness. She was soaking and he couldn't wait much longer to have her. Hastily, he pulled her underwear down her legs and she kicked them off drunkenly, now exposed to him completely.

Malfoy made his way back up to her side so that he could watch her face for her reactions. Her eyes were sleepily half closed and her mouth was slightly open. With one finger he gently traced her opening. Hermione moaned in pleasure, her eyes fluttering uselessly. She was completely gone and she knew it.

_Think, Hermione, think! _she told herself desperately, but it was no use. All she could feel through the mist of her mind was Malfoy's fingers against her skin, teasing her and pleasuring her in a way she had never experienced before. It felt wonderful and she didn't want it to stop.

_Come on, Hermione. You don't want this! _she tried to tell herself. Her eyes tried to focus on him, but they couldn't. She could only vaguely make out his expression, which was glazed over with lust. And then his fingers had found her clit, and she was gasping in pleasure again as her back left the bed.

Malfoy groaned softly as her clit hardened between his fingers. She was getting wetter by the second, and his pants were already uncomfortably tight. Hermione clumsily attempted to pull his shirt over his head as she began to respond to his touch. Malfoy paused to pull it off then resumed his teasing.

'What's happening to me!' Hermione suddenly moaned as his fingers pulled out new feelings from deep inside her. She had never imagined such pleasure was possible.

'You want it,' Malfoy whispered hungrily, his lips attacking her throat. His fingers moved away from her clit and Hermione moaned in protest until he found her opening. More urgently, he slid his fingers inside and Hermione gasped in pleasure again.

'Oh, God!' she moaned sloppily, her eyes closing.

'You want it bad, don't you?' Malfoy hissed against her skin. Hermione groaned in response, her hands grazing through his hair.

'Don't you, witch?' Malfoy said more demandingly, his fingers leaving her.

'Yes!' Hermione gasped, panting hard. Triumphantly, Malfoy reached down to unzip his pants.

But then he paused and looked down at the girl before him. Her eyes were fluttering and her chest was rising and falling rapidly in anticipation. Long gone were the panic and fear in her eyes and she was making no move to resist him, laying completely naked and exposed before him. Her arms had fallen loosely to her sides as she waited for him to take her, completely innocent and vulnerable.

'Please…' she whispered urgently, her hips rising slightly to rub against him. Malfoy started and looked at her in shock. She was _begging_ him to have sex with her. She was so far gone that he doubted she could remember her own name. It just wasn't right.

'Malfoy…' she breathed, arching her back. Malfoy stared down at her. And suddenly he just couldn't. He couldn't take this girl, this completely innocent girl, when she was so badly out of her right mind. Malfoy had women fawning over him daily and had never been faced before with the prospect of a girl refusing him. Hermione had been the first, and now he had taken that right away from her by getting her drunk. It had been his plan, knowing that she would struggle and the alcohol would make it impossible for her to resist. He had never raped a girl before. But suddenly the reasoning that it wasn't rape, simply because he had forced her body to betray her, wasn't enough for him. He had done some real evil in his time - he had tortured, killed, betrayed, lied, taunted…but this was a different kind of evil. Granted, he had already defiled her physically…but he couldn't quite bring himself to do this. She at least deserved the chance to defend herself - or even be _aware_ with what was going on at all.

Hermione reached out a hand to him but Malfoy backed away. He got to his feet and stared down at her. She looked confused by his sudden change of heart, and something else…hurt? Disappointed?

'I can't do this,' he whispered. Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion.

'Malfoy?' she asked uncertainly, slowly trying to sit up. Her head spun but she was beginning to be able to see a little more clearly through the fog. She looked up at him towering above her.

'Get out,' he whispered. She stared at him.

'What?'

'GET OUT!' Malfoy suddenly roared. He clicked his fingers and a house elf appeared instantly at his side holding a black dressing gown. Malfoy ripped it from his hands and threw it at Hermione, who flinched. She put it on quickly, her fingers still clumsy and fumbling, as Malfoy turned away in disgust. The house elf had averted his gaze from Hermione but now that she was covered he reached out to take her hand.

'Come on, miss Hermione,' he whispered, his voice quivering in fear. She got to her feet and stumbled slightly. Malfoy made a noise of fury in his throat but did not turn to look at her. The elf tugged more urgently on her hand. With one last look at Malfoy, Hermione let herself be apparated down to her room. The elf tucked her into bed quickly without speaking and left her alone in the dark. Her thoughts were now coming back to her, the fog clearing every second. And that was when the tears started.

He had humiliated her again. He had got her drunker than she ever imagined she could be. It had been easy for him to do it after realising that she was so inexperienced with alcohol - her mind had been so addled by the devil liquid he had forced down her throat she hadn't even known who she _was_. And then he had taken unfair advantage of her, turning her body against her and making her plead for him. And _then_…this was the cruellest thing he had ever done to her…he had rejected her. _He_ had rejected _her_. Hermione moaned in desolation as she cried herself to sleep. His torture was becoming more unbearable by the day and Hermione could never have imagined his plans for her would be so cruel. She had thought that forcing her to have sex with him would be as bad as it could get…but now she realised that the exact opposite had been far, far worse.

Little did she know, four storeys above her, Malfoy was pacing up and down his room. He was furious with himself. He had shown a completely uncharacteristic sense of compassion towards the mudblood. He'd had her _right_ where he'd wanted her, ready for the taking, but he had faltered. She had just looked so…not like herself. Her eyes had been completely taken over with desire for him. Never in a million years would he have been prepared to see that in her, even though that had been the plan all along. To make her want him. Seeing it, though…he just couldn't do it.

'Pull yourself together Draco!' he suddenly roared to himself, raking his fingernails down his cheeks painfully and drawing little droplets of crimson. 'This is not _you!_'

As tears trickled down one face and blood down the other, it appeared that neither Hermione Granger nor Draco Malfoy had been themselves tonight.

--

**Ok, who saw that coming! I have to admit that I rewrote the end of this chapter quite a few times. I didn't want Malfoy to rape her because I agree with you that that would just make it too hard for her ever to forgive him. And this way, Malfoy's good side is slowly starting to come through.**

**I'm sorry to say I don't think the next chapter will be up for a few weeks, a my exams start next week and I need full on concentration. But don't worry, I will be back as soon as I can be. In the meantime, please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Love you all xx**


	16. The Seducer

**I'M BACK!!! I just had my last exam this afternoon so to celebrate I thought I'd post the next chapter! And also, because some people seemed dangerously close to getting abusive if I didn't post soon...Firstly, thanks to everyone who wished me luck for exams, they all went well and I'm happy :) Second, this story has NOT been abandoned, nor do I have any plans to abandon it! There's no way I could abandon this story when I'm getting so much great feedback for it, and I'd say it's definitely the favourite of my stories so that really keeps me going with it.**

**I'm glad that people are starting to get curious about Seamus! He's going to appear more regularly from now on and all in good time everything about his past will be revealed..it's a shocker! (or at least, I hope it is). Jack Sandford will make another appearance by popular demand and of course Lucius will be hanging around now...**

**Now for all of you that know some french: J'espere que vous aimez ce chapitre, Draco est vraiment tres chouet! Enjoy!**

**--**

The morning after the ball Malfoy Manor had a conflicting presence of joy and foreboding in the air. Narcissa was happier than she'd been in months with Lucius returned to her at last, and in one piece. The ball had been a great success; everybody had left happy and in awe of her amazing hosting prowess. Then she and Lucius had spent the remainder of the night getting reacquainted. Narcissa hadn't spared a single thought to poor Blaise after midnight - her attention was captured completely by her husband.

Lucius too was wrapped up in his wife. He had gone six months without a woman's touch and couldn't wait to get Narcissa up to bed. The manor had been filled with her screams of pleasure for many hours, making the house elves giggle as they began clearing away the mess from the party. Malfoy had been fortunate enough to be passed out at the time - he had drank himself into a stupor after tossing Hermione from his room. And Hermione had been fast asleep, troubled dreams of hooded figures and the Burrow and Seamus and blood creeping into her head.

When she had awoken a little after midday Minky was waiting beside her bed with a large, disgusting looking drink in one hand and a clean set of clothes in the other. Hermione groaned as she sat up.

'What _happened _last night?' she said, taking the drink gratefully. She eyed it warily, then pinched her nose and drank the lot in one go.

'Danky…Danky is saying that he is finding you in Master's bedroom…without your clothes,' Minky whispered, her eyes wide and disbelieving. Hermione groaned as faint memories worked their way back into her head. She could remember being naked on Malfoy's bed. She could remember his hands teasing her. She could remember reaching out for him. But then everything seemed to go fuzzy.

'Oh my God,' she whispered. It wasn't possible. He had…he had finally done it! He'd finally robbed her of her last little shred of innocence. She waited for the pain and the humiliation to come, but all she felt was anger. 'Oh, I'm going to murder him with my bare hands!' she raged, climbing out of bed in a fury. But suddenly she felt terribly sick.

'Careful, miss Hermione! You has drank too much last night,' Minky reached up to steady her. Hermione nodded and sat down again. 'Here, miss Hermione.'

'Just Hermione,' she said absentmindedly as she took the bundle of clothes that Minky handed her. She was dressed only in a fine silk dressing gown. Minky left so that Hermione could change - it was another plain white dress. Hermione's hands shook as she pulled it over her head. She was in shock. It couldn't be. It couldn't really have happened.

The ball felt like a million years ago to her now. Every person she'd talked to felt like a distant dream. She could remember Seamus grinning at her, his face contorted maliciously. She could remember a bright ball of light and Lucius with his arms thrown out to the crowd. She could remember a blonde woman hissing at her to stay away from Malfoy. Malfoy…

Hermione growled and got to her feet again. She ignored the sick feeling in her stomach as she stormed her way through the kitchens and took the stairs two at a time until she reached the main house. Finding it deserted, she continued to stomp all the way up to the third floor and down the end to Malfoy's room. She banged loudly on his door for several minutes but nothing happened. She didn't care that she was his slave - he had gone too far this time and she was going to tell him this, then proceed to murder him.

But after there was no reply, she hesitated. Was he avoiding her? Did he not want to see her because he knew what was coming? Huffing in annoyance, Hermione started back down the hall with the intention of searching for him in the gardens when a door to her left opened.

'What are you doing, mudblood?' Malfoy said irritably, poking his head out.

'You!' Hermione yelled, pointing at him. Malfoy looked startled and opened the door to reveal the same study Hermione had found him in all those weeks ago. She started towards him with only one thought running through her mind - kill Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy backed into the room and Hermione followed. She flew at him and beat her fists against his chest. For a moment Malfoy let her, staring down at her in surprise, then his hands snatched her wrists from the air and crossed them against her chest.

'What the fuck do you think you're doing, mudblood?' he asked, his face livid.

'How dare you…how dare you even _look _at me after what you did!' Hermione screeched. There was an uncontrollable fury in her eyes and she seemed surprisingly strong as she struggled in his hands.

'Excuse me?' Malfoy replied in a quiet voice. Hermione stopped struggling to glare up at him in pure hatred.

'You heard me,' she spat at him.

'You are referring to last night, I presume?' he asked her coldly. She nodded, her anger suddenly too great for words. 'Then you should be thanking me, mudblood.'

Hermione stared up at him in shock. '_Thanking_ you?' she said disbelievingly.

'That's what I said.' Hermione's eyes narrowed.

'You are despicable!' she hissed, beginning to struggle once more. Her foot flew out and kicked him hard in the shin. Malfoy winced slightly but didn't let her go.

'Do you actually remember last night, mudblood?' he asked her. Hermione froze and bit her lip.

'Well, no but…but I remember enough!' her anger resumed. Malfoy suddenly let go of her and she fell back onto the floor. He strolled over to the desk at the far end of the room and sat down behind it.

'Tell me, what exactly _do _you remember?' Hermione got to her feet slowly and stood before him.

'I remember you dragging me up to your room. I remember you taking my clothes off. I remember you touching my…my…' she faded off, too embarrassed to say the words. Her cheeks were burning with shame and embarrassment. She could not believe that he was acting so casual after what he had done to her. But Malfoy merely sneered up at her.

'Is that all?' he asked coolly. She nodded, words beyond her. 'Well, then. You seem to have come to some unfair conclusions.'

'_Unfair conclusions?_' Hermione couldn't help but laugh. 'What, exactly, would be fair about you…you…doing what you did to me?' she asked furiously. Malfoy tutted.

'Now, now, mudblood, don't be prejudiced,' he smirked at the irony of his words. 'You seem to be expecting the worst from me.'

'Of course I am! You - you _raped_ me!' Hermione shrieked, pointing at him. Malfoy's face darkened and he was silent for a while before answering.

'I did not,' he said quietly. Hermione started disbelievingly.

'You did! Don't deny it!'

'Are you challenging me, mudblood?' Malfoy asked dangerously. Hermione squared her shoulders.

'Yes, yes I am! You're a dirty, disgusting liar!'

'Actually, mudblood. It is _you_ who is lying.' Hermione opened her mouth at him. Why was he being so ridiculous? Why would he bother to deny it when he had absolutely nothing to lose?

'Why won't you admit it?' she asked him slowly, almost pleadingly. Malfoy sighed.

'Granger. I did not rape you last night.'

'You…you did,' Hermione said, uncertainty beginning to creep into her voice. He had, she just knew it! She could distinctly remember being naked on his bed with him, just as he'd wanted. What else could have happened? Malfoy shook his head at her in disgust.

'I was going to. But I didn't.' Hermione blinked at him.

'What?'

'You heard me,' he growled.

'But…why?' Hermione didn't know if she believed him or not. It didn't make sense at all.

'That is none of your concern,' Malfoy said coldly. She stared at him.

'I don't believe you,' she said slowly. He smirked at her.

'You don't believe me, or you don't want to believe me?'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Hermione snarled. Malfoy reclined back in his chair, studying her closely.

'"Please, Malfoy!"' he said in a high-pitched imitation of her. Hermione gasped as it all came back to her. Begging him to take her. Reaching for him. Waiting for him to have his way at last. Malfoy moving away from her. The house elf. Malfoy screaming at her to get out.

'Remember now?' he asked her quietly. Hermione felt herself going red and found to her dismay that tears were forming in her eyes.

'You…you really reached an all-time low with that one, Malfoy,' she whispered hatefully. He raised an eyebrow at her.

'I reached an all-time low because I decided to spare you?' Hermione looed up at him in shock. What did he just say? He had _spared_ her?

'What do you mean?' she whispered. He sneered at her.

'You were so pathetically drunk. I had mercy on you.'

'_You, _have mercy?' Hermione let out a shaky laugh. 'Not possible.'

Malfoy suddenly stood and leaned across the desk so that their faces were inches apart, his voice a low snarl.

'A lot of things aren't possible, mudblood. It is not possible that you are still alive. It is not possible that you could get any closer to being murdered right now. It is not possible that you haven't yet thanked me for last night. It is not possible that you looked so damn good in that dress I chose. There are a lot of things that aren't possible, but don't you dare to assume that you know me.'

Hermione stepped back from him in fear, letting his words sink in. He looked furious as he glared at her.

'Well?' he hissed at her.

'Thank - thank you,' she stammered quickly. He looked satisfied as he straightened up.

'You're welcome. Now get out,' he turned his back on her and Hermione stared at him for several moments before doing as he ordered. She backed out of the room slowly and quietly shut the door. Then she leaned against it and let herself sink down to the floor.

He hadn't raped her. It was too good to be possible. But why? It didn't make any sense. He was pure evil. Why would he have spared her? Was it really because she had been so drunk that he had found her repulsive? Or was it - Hermione hardly dared to believe it could be possible - was it because last night he had found something inside himself? A tiny morsel of compassion?

Hermione smiled slightly as her breath caught up with her. _It is not possible that you looked so damn good in that dress._

--

Hermione didn't have to wait long for her next encounter with Malfoy. He came searching for her later that day and found her in the kitchens, helping the elves to prepare dinner. Hermione was astonished to see him there - he looked much to clean to be in a kitchen. He also looked incredibly harassed.

'Come upstairs with me,' he barked at her shortly, already starting back up the stairs. Hermione followed him warily but curiously. He stopped just before they reached the entrance hall and turned to look at her. Before Hermione knew what was happening he had pointed his wand at her.

'_Homenun deguiso_,' he said, and again sparks flew at her face. She looked at him as if he were crazy.

'What -?'

'My father wishes to speak to you,' Malfoy said, scowling. 'Come to my room and I will dress you first.'

She followed him upstairs with a mild fear returning to her. She hadn't realised that Pearl Shadows would ever return - she thought it would be a one-off thing. But now that she thought about it, of course Malfoy's parents would want to meet his girlfriend and would find it strange if she had suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. Once they reached his room Malfoy threw a slinky black silk dress at her, which she caught in a fluster. She changed quickly in the bathroom, grateful that he didn't follow her, and when she returned there was a pair of black heels waiting for her.

'Follow me,' Malfoy said curtly, already walking out the door. Hermione hurried to keep up as he led her up a storey to the fourth floor - she had never been up here. Malfoy strolled down the long hall and pushed open a door at the end. Hermione followed him in apprehensively. The room had green velvet walls and a marble floor. There was a large, glowing fireplace against one wall and several black leather couches surrounded it. Seated at one was Lucius Malfoy, holding a large tumbler of brandy. Next to him was Narcissa, cuddling right up to his side and nibbling on his ear. Malfoy cleared his throat loudly and they looked around.

'Oh, there you are!' Narcissa cried, beaming at Hermione. 'Come, come - sit!'

Malfoy scowled at his parents as he rather roughly grabbed Hermione by the wrist and led her to the couch opposite them. Hermione sat down several feet away from him, but as Narcissa raised her eyebrows she quickly scooted over and closed the gap between them. How strange it felt to sit next to him! Malfoy put a hand on her knee and Hermione felt a curious tingle run through her body. She looked up at him curiously but he was glaring at his father.

'How are you this morning, darling?' Narcissa asked her kindly.

'Er…' Hermione began unintelligibly.

'Draco mentioned you had a bit to drink last night.'

'I…well…' Hermione spluttered, feeling herself going scarlet. Malfoy smirked but Narcissa laughed.

'It's quite all right. It was an occasion to celebrate, after all. I had a little too much myself,' she smiled at Lucius, who was staring at Hermione. She knew he was sizing her up.

'So, Pearl,' he began in his impossibly sweet voice. 'Tell me about yourself.'

'Um…well…I like to…to read,' Hermione began lamely. But it was the truth.

'You will enjoy our library, then,' Lucius smiled. 'I will have Draco take you there after we have dinner.'

'I will do as I like, Father,' Malfoy snapped.

'Draco!' Narcissa said, looking scandalised.

'Sorry,' he muttered to his mother, still glaring at his father.

'I would love to see the library,' Hermione said eagerly. To read again after so long would be complete and utter bliss. She missed that escape from reality so much, and now she needed it more than ever. Malfoy scowled at her.

'Then I will take you there later,' he said reluctantly. Hermione couldn't help but grin.

'You two certainly make a very attractive couple,' Narcissa said primly, smiling at the pair of them. Hermione felt herself blush slightly and was amazed to see Malfoy do the same beside her.

'_Mother_,' he said through gritted teeth.

'What? I'm allowed to say that, aren't I? You, my son, are adorable.' Malfoy scowled at her. 'And you, Pearl, are absolutely stunning.'

'Thank you,' Hermione said quietly. No one had ever called her stunning before. It was sad to think that she was only complimented on her beauty when disguised as someone else.

'Isn't she, Draco?' Narcissa pressed.

'Yes,' he smirked slightly. He seemed to be taking it as a personal compliment on his own spell-casting abilities that Pearl was so good-looking. Hermione resisted the urge to stab him with her heel.

'And when did you two meet?' Lucius interrupted.

'Last week,' Malfoy replied curtly.

'Where?'

'In London.'

'Anywhere special?'

'A bar.'

'What did you drink?'

'Tequila shots.'

Hermione looked between the two men curiously as they continued to stare each other down. They seemed to be having some kind of mental war happening between them, as each tried to fire out the reply more quickly than the other. Narcissa cleared her throat and looked at her husband reprovingly.

'Well, I'm sure that you will be an excellent suitor for Draco.' Hermione felt herself blushing again and Malfoy tutted in annoyance.

'We've only known each other a week, mother. Honestly, you'll scare her away,' he smiled slightly and Hermione smiled back weakly. It was funny because she could never leave and they both knew it.

'Oh, don't be silly, Draco. You know no girl can ever walk away from a Malfoy.'

'This is true,' Lucius grinned at her and they kissed swiftly on the lips. Malfoy rolled his eyes and his grip tightened slightly on Hermione's leg. Hermione had to bite her lip to stop herself from yelping in pain. While his parents were still distracted Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded pointedly towards his hand. His grip relaxed, but only slightly, as Lucius and Narcissa broke apart finally.

'So, what did your father do?' Lucius asked her. Hermione tensed slightly.

'He…he was a…' she cast her mind around quickly. It fell upon a large, gleaming unicorn horn that was nailed to the wall opposite her. 'He was a trainer. For dangerous beasts.'

'Really?' Lucius looked mildly interested. 'Any specialty?'

'Er…dementors, actually,' Hermione thought that would be suitably evil. She was right.

'Ah, yes. Marvellous creatures, aren't they?' he nodded approvingly.

'Yes,' Hermione lied weakly.

The next hour seemed to drag by slowly as Hermione was continually questioned about her parents, her past and her future plans. It was rather fun, really, making up a life. They seemed to eat up every word and by the time dinner was ready Malfoy was smirking, feeling completely at ease as he listened to her wild stories.

'What?' she whispered at him as they followed his parents downstairs to the dining room.

'You're good at lying,' he whispered back. Hermione felt her stomach flip over. It felt so…_weird_ to be walking with him and talking with him with such civility! She would have to be careful or she could get used to this.

'Well, I _was _the most intelligent witch for my age,' she pointed out. Malfoy cocked an eyebrow at her.

'Was? And what are you now?' Hermione thought for a moment for an answer that would stop him from wanting to punish her later.

'Nothing but your slave.' Malfoy smirked.

'That's right,' he said, looking pleased with himself.

Dinner went by with more endless questions. Hermione was actually enjoying herself by the time dessert rolled around. Never in a million years did she think she would be dining with the Malfoy's as anything apart from the meal. It was the strangest sensation she had ever experienced.

'So, Pearl,' Narcissa interrupted Lucius' most recent line of questioning, 'Have you had any previous relationships?'

Hermione froze with a spoonful of chocolate pudding halfway to her lips. Her heart was suddenly painful in her chest and the gaping hole where she tucked away her past threatened to crack open.

'I…I was once…' she said meekly. When all three Malfoy's all looked at her curiously, she was forced to continue. 'Before the war broke out…I was…' she decided it would be unwise to admit her love for another man while sitting with the parents of the man she was meant to be dating. 'I was growing fond of a boy. Nothing special at all,' she added quickly.

'Anyone we would know?' Malfoy asked innocently. Hermione kicked him beneath the table.

'No, I don't think so,' she said firmly. Malfoy opened his mouth, surely to press her further, but Narcissa thankfully interrupted.

'Well, I am certainly glad to see Draco with a nice girl like yourself. You are much more interesting than the other girls he's dated.'

Malfoy scowled at his mother as it was Hermione's turn to smirk.

'Thank you very much, Mrs Malfoy.'

'_Narcissa,_ darling.'

'Sorry - Narcissa. I couldn't help but notice I was causing a bit of jealousy last night,' Hermione went on, curious to see what information she could dig up on Malfoy.

'You certainly were,' Narcissa agreed. 'Poor Pansy was going to go into hysterics, I think.'

Malfoy and Hermione both snorted with laughter. They looked at each other and Hermione looked away quickly.

'Draco,' Narcissa scowled at her son. 'Really, the poor girl. She's head over heels in love with you, I'm afraid.'

'I know,' Malfoy smirked. Lucius laughed.

'That's my boy,' he chuckled. The two men exchanged a triumphant smirk and Hermione looked between them curiously. She still did not understand Malfoy's relationship with his father - one minute he hated him, then they were best buddies.

'Men,' Narcissa huffed, rolling her eyes. Hermione smiled at her - although she was pretending to be someone else, it felt so good to have a friend - if only for the night.

'You caused quite a stir, from what I heard after my arrival,' Lucius commented. Hermione blushed.

'Yes, that reminds me,' Malfoy suddenly scowled. 'I need to pay a visit to Sandford.'

'Jack Sandford?' Lucius asked. Malfoy nodded. 'Why?'

Everyone looked at Hermione. She quickly became very interested in her pudding and avoided their gaze.

'Sandford thought it would be a good idea to take my girlfriend off for a lovely little stroll,' Malfoy growled. Lucius looked interested. Hermione nearly choked upon hearing Malfoy call her his girlfriend. Although, of course, it wasn't _really _her.

'You have competition then, Draco,' Lucius grinned. Malfoy snarled at him.

'I have no competition. Ever.'

'Oh, Draco! You know how the other men are afraid of you. I wonder why,' Narcissa said sarcastically. Hermione laughed openly. It was lovely to watch Malfoy take a few hits for once.

'They _should_ be afraid of me,' Malfoy said menacingly. Hermione decided to join in.

'Seamus isn't. Finnigan, I mean.'

'Finnigan has my respect,' Malfoy answered coldly, glaring at her.

'Why?' Hermione asked curiously. She was burning to know more about Seamus - how he had managed to work himself so high up into the Dark Side. Why Malfoy would respect _him _of all people.

'He is a very highly regarded wizard,' Lucius noted. Hermione turned to look at him in interest.

'How come?' Lucius considered her for a moment, deciding how much to tell her. But before he could open his mouth Malfoy interrupted.

'I will tell you later,' he said smoothly. Hermione scowled at him, knowing full well that he would do no such thing. 'If you'll excuse us,' he said to his mother, standing up. Hermione followed suit.

'Oh, Draco, don't forget. The library,' Narcissa called after him as they left. Malfoy muttered darkly but had no choice but to take Hermione to the library. It was on the first floor and Hermione gasped in amazement as he led her inside. The room was larger than the kitchens, books piled right up to the ceiling.

'Oh my…' she whispered, staring around open mouthed. Malfoy smirked.

'You're still a nerd, Granger.'

'I know,' Hermione replied absentmindedly. Malfoy strolled away down the aisle and Hermione followed slowly, reading the spines of the books and searching for one she wanted to read. Most seemed to be about the Dark Arts, but the library couldn't possibly be filled _only_ with that rubbish. Hermione gasped as she found a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. She pulled it out eagerly - she hadn't read this in years! It was her favourite book. Malfoy returned and saw what she was holding. He snorted.

'Trust,' he sniggered.

'What?' Hermione said defensively. Malfoy's eyes travelled off her face and down the length of her body. Hermione blushed and glared at him but Malfoy ignored her as he approached slowly. Hermione dropped the heavy book to the floor to hold her hands in front of her protectively, recognising instantly the smouldering look in his eyes. Malfoy grabbed her by the wrists and held her arms against the shelves that she had backed into.

'Not trying to put up a fight, are you?' he growled softly into her ear. Hermione shuddered but said nothing, not sure how to get herself out of this tight situation.

'What's the matter, don't you trust me?' Malfoy asked her mockingly. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

'You know I don't,' she said with as much strength as she could muster, hoping that her voice sounded threatening.

'Still don't believe me about last night?' Malfoy said sounding slightly incredulous. What did he have to do to convince her? He had never had to work so hard in his life!

'I don't know,' Hermione replied honestly, wondering why he seemed so aggravated by this fact. Malfoy's mouth moved away from her ear as he leaned back slightly to look at her. His hot breath tickled her face and Hermione couldn't tear her eyes away from his taunting lips, which at that very second were curved up at the corners into a terribly enticing smile. Slowly, very slowly, Malfoy let go of her left wrist and traced his fingers over her waist and down to her hip.

'I'll prove it to you,' Malfoy said quietly, his eyes never leaving her face as his hand made its way further south. Hermione suddenly gasped as she felt his thumb pressing against her most sensitive spot through the soft silk of her dress. Malfoy's fingers gently stroked against her opening and Hermione instantly felt a mortifying rush of wetness pool between her legs. Then, as suddenly as they'd been there, Malfoy's fingers were gone and Hermione looked up at him in confusion as his hand wound its way back around her wrist.

'What was that for?' she asked, hoping he didn't hear the break in her voice.

'I just proved that I haven't defiled you - yet,' Malfoy grinned and Hermione blinked at him, choosing to ignore for the moment the terrifying suggestion of his words and concentrate on the meaning.

'How?' she demanded in confusion. Malfoy's smile widened.

'Because you're not in any pain.'

It didn't take long for Hermione to make sense of his words, and again she felt herself blushing furiously.

'How did you know -'

' - that you're a virgin?' Malfoy finished her question triumphantly. She nodded meekly. 'I read your file from the camps.' Hermione stared at him blankly.

'File?'

'They keep files on all the mudbloods for…several purposes,' Malfoy finished vaguely. 'Yours told me all I needed to know.'

Hermione suddenly had a distant memory of a long line of girls stretching into the distance. As the Death Eaters strolled down the line they pointed their wands and muttered incantations that Hermione didn't recognise. She could remember it as if it had happened yesterday all of a sudden - when they had reached her and the spell had hit, she felt nothing. But her body had suddenly given off a bright gold glow that had disappeared as soon as it had come. Had this been some kind of test for…purity?

Hermione shivered at the thought of why they had wanted to know this information and opened her mouth to question Malfoy further when she suddenly found his hands were wrapped tightly around her waist.

'What are you doing?' Hermione whispered fearfully.

'Touching my girlfriend,' Malfoy replied in an innocent voice. Hermione frowned.

'I think your girlfriend has grown tired of your company and would like to go to bed,' she suggested hopefully. Malfoy chuckled.

'_I _think my girlfriend is insane,' he said in a low voice that made Hermione's spine tremble involuntarily in excitement.

'And _I_ think my boyfriend is about to do something stupid,' Hermione whispered.

'I think my girlfriend should shut up now,' Malfoy growled softly.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat - he was so close to her. His chest was pressed up a against her own and she could feel his heart beating steadily. Heat was radiating off his body. Malfoy smirked at her as his eyes travelled down to her quickly rising and falling chest. Her breasts looked firm but soft and he could faintly feel her nipples hardening beneath the thin, silky fabric as his chest rubbed against hers gently. He growled softly in the back of his throat. And then his lips were on hers, attacking them ferociously. Hermione stared at him for a moment in complete surprise and then her eyes fluttered closed as her lips took over, kissing him back fiercely.

Malfoy's arms wrapped around her, pressing her firmly against the bookshelf, and Hermione clutched at his arms, feeling his thick muscles tensing between her fingers. She moaned into his mouth and Malfoy took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her lips, running it across her teeth and then delving deeper inside. Hermione's mind had truly floated away on a cloud as she sighed against his lips, pulling him closer and kissing him more urgently. Her body was doing impossible things to her.

_This is Malfoy, _she tried to tell herself. But another part of her told her to shut up. So she did.

'Granger,' Malfoy suddenly whispered, tearing his lips from hers and panting heavily.

'What?' she whispered back, her eyes still closed as he rested his forehead against hers.

'You should leave.'

Hermione's eyes snapped open and she looked up at him in surprise. He was rejecting her _again?_

'Oh my God, what am I doing?' she muttered to herself, pushing him away. Malfoy didn't protest and closed his eyes, his hands clenched into tight fists. He had trapped her again. It was getting easier and easier for him to make her humiliate herself. It was the most infuriating thing imaginable and Hermione was furious with herself for making it so easy for him. She picked up the book that she had dropped and stormed away from him.

Malfoy opened his eyes and watched her go, grimacing painfully. As soon as she was gone he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

'Draco, get a grip on yourself,' he told himself angrily, running his fingers through his hair distractedly. He was losing his mind. When they were kissing she had been turning him on by the second. He grimaced as he slowly made his way out of the library and up to his room, his pants uncomfortably tight. He knew they had to stop when they did. A few more minutes and he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from taking her right there against the shelves. It would be fitting, having Granger in the library. _But what was she playing at_, he thought crossly. Kissing him like that, it was almost as if she was begging for him to hurt her. Like she was addicted to torture. Masochistic.

Malfoy ran himself a cold bath and hopped in furiously. Granger didn't realise how lucky she had just gotten.

--

**OK, so what did everyone think?? Definitely a relationship starting to blossom here... Well I just can't wait to hear all your reactions so I'm off! xxx**


	17. The Confused

**Hi, everyone. I was overwelmed by the HUGE number of reviews that flooded in so so fast and really grateful, so thanks to everyone who reviewed! I keep meaning to reply personally to them but never find the time. Anyway, sorry again for another slowish update, but I can assure you that the next chapter is pretty much done and one of my favourites... I'm really glad that you're all happy with the pace :) Now, just a quick reply to a review or two...**

**CursedQuill: I didn't have the Tudor era in mind when I was writing this but now that you mention it I guess that's kind of how I imagine them at their parties, only everyone's a lot more evil and no one's really having fun except the Malfoys! I didn't consciously take the name Norfolk from this time, though I did study A Man For All Seasons in English this year so that's probably why the name popped into my head. **

**Dolphinroxy: Malfoy likes Hermione, not Pearl. The spell that he uses to turn her into Pearl doesn't work on him, so he actually has no idea what Pearl looks like. Which is nice really, because it means that while everyone else finds this fake person amazing to look at, only Malfoy really knows how truly beautiful she is! Of course, he doesn't want to admit any of this yet...**

**Thanks again for all your amazing reviews!**

**--**

Mercifully, no Malfoy had any further requirement of Pearl over the next few days so Hermione was free to be herself and hide down in the kitchens, moping about with the house elves. They didn't know what was wrong with her but they were determined to cheer her up, so while Hermione was still furious with herself _and_ Malfoy for what had happened at their last encounter, several days later found Hermione laughing her heart out on the kitchen floor.

'Stop it, stop it, I can't breathe!' she gasped, beating her fist upon the floor. A pair of elves had placed large saucepans over their heads and were pretending to fight each other blindly while a circle of onlookers bashed their own saucepans with a collection of kitchen utensils to create the strangest but most hilarious sounds Hermione had ever heard. The elves before her circled each other and then ran at each other, knocking themselves to the ground with a loud _clang_ as their pots bounced off one another. Hermione shrieked with laughter - it was simply the funniest thing she had seen in years!

One of the elves pulled his saucepan off his head and grinned at her, looking slightly dazed.

'Is miss Hermione still breathing?' he asked. Hermione tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths, as she beamed at him.

'Yes, I am. And just call me Hermione. Thank you for that.'

'You is most welcome, Hermione!' the elf squeaked, looking close to tears at the amount of gratitude he was receiving. Hermione shook her head, smiling to herself, as the elves packed away their pots and saucepans and got back to work. Only Minky remained by her side. She shuffled her feet looking nervous.

'Are you alright, Minky?' Hermione asked her with some concern.

'Oh, yes, Hermione! I is just wondering if…if you could give this to Flopsy for me?' she tentatively held out a tiny rock that had been engraved with a small letter M. Hermione grinned at her.

'Did you make this for him? It's brilliant!'

'Thank you, Hermione!' Minky squealed in delight, her ears flapping happily.

'I'll give it to him right now,' Hermione promised, winking as she got to her feet. Minky's blush deepened as she nodded and watched Hermione walk away. With a slight chill forming in her stomach Hermione realised that Flopsy was in the gardens today - which meant she would have to venture through the house for the first time in days. It was with much apprehension that she reluctantly made her way upstairs and crept through the house. The last thing she wanted right now was to run into a Malfoy - one in particular, actually. But she had just promised Minky, so Hermione tiptoed through the hall and out in the grounds.

She was relieved to see Flopsy not too far away, pulling weeds from the flowerbeds. Glancing around, Hermione saw that there wasn't a single human in sight and started towards him confidently.

'Hey, Flopsy,' she greeted when she was within earshot. He spun around in delight at the sound of her voice and bowed to her.

'Hello, Hermione!' he smiled at her and she grinned back.

'I have something for you.'

'For…for me?' Flopsy looked astonished but terribly pleased as Hermione nodded.

'Here. It's from…' she paused. 'Not me.'

Flopsy took the small rock she held out to him and as he stared at it his face slowly turned red.

'Is it from…?' he trailed off, looking at Hermione hopefully. She nodded. She didn't need to ask who he was referring to. Flopsy looked close to tears now as he pocketed the rock inside his shabby tea towel.

'Hermione, what…what should I do for her?' he asked desperately. Hermione smiled and sat down beside him. She didn't consider herself a relationship expert by any means - quite the opposite - but she thought she could handle it where the house elves were concerned. They were so adorably clueless as to the whole situation and Hermione couldn't help but envy their naivety and innocence.

'Why don't you cook dinner for her?' she suggested. Flopsy shook his head.

'For a house elf that would be an insult. She would thinks I is saying that she can't cooks!'

'Of course,' Hermione mentally slapped herself for forgetting this. 'What if…you made her a necklace?'

'Like a…like a human wears?' Flopsy asked curiously. Hermione nodded.

'Human girls like them especially. I just know that she would, too.'

'How do I make one?' he asked nervously. Hermione grinned.

'You're the expert at crafting,' she nodded pointedly at the shrubs nearby. 'Just use one of the knives or forks from the kitchen. I'm sure if you melted it in the fire you would be able to mould it to whatever you wanted. And then you just need some string.'

'That sounds perfect, Hermione!' Flopsy said breathlessly. 'I am in your debt forever for your help!'

'No, no,' Hermione said quickly, feeling herself going red. 'I am in _your _debt, Flopsy. You've been kind to me since the day I arrived here.'

She sighed as she looked around and Flopsy looked at her pityingly. It was a true mark of how terrible Hermione's life was that a house elf was taking pity on _her._

'Hermione hates it here, doesn't she?' he asked her sadly. She looked at him and smiled slightly.

'No, actually. It's not as bad as…' she shivered and broke off.

'What…what is it like, at the camps?' Flopsy asked timidly. Hermione's eyes travelled away into the distance before she answered.

'It was hell, Flopsy. It really was. We couldn't do anything on our own free will. It was like we were Imperiused, only they didn't even need to use their wands. We were just…dead inside.'

'Did they…torture you?' Flopsy whispered, looking terrified. Hermione's eyes seemed to glaze over before she replied.

'I was lucky enough to escape most of it. But I saw countless girls getting dragged off, screaming. It was the worst thing I've ever seen. No respect. No dignity. They would just take them away and they wouldn't come back.'

Hermione shivered. Her recent discovery, thanks to Malfoy's information, had made her painfully aware of something that she had known all along but had been pretending not to - that the tortures she had avoided had been much worse than just a Crucio or two. Those files Malfoy had told her about would surely serve one purpose only - to ensure the Death Eaters could hand pick their victims just to their liking.

Thinking about it made her blood freeze in her veins. It made her realise how terrible the world was, yet at the same time how lucky she had been. And she still was lucky, really. She was alive. She wasn't being tortured…at least, in the way that she would have been at the camps. Hers was more of a mental anguish, and as she had experienced, all too painfully, the physical side of it, she was grateful.

'What did you do all with your times?' Flopsy whispered.

'They made us carve wands out of the trees. But they would take them away before the magic was born into them. We were completely defenceless. It was like…it was like being a house elf, I guess.'

Flopsy laughed shakily. 'We is never had it that bad. I…I wish I could help wizards. But we isn't powerful and we is to obey at all times.'

'I know,' Hermione said sadly. 'Don't worry about me, Flopsy. Really, I'm almost happy here,' she lied. It wasn't that far from the truth - she wasn't happy but that could never be expected. Yet life at Malfoy Manor was not as bad as she originally thought it would be. She smiled at him reassuringly and as one last shudder seemed to pass through the pair of them, slowly they returned to their plans for capturing Minky's heart.

--

'_Get up, mudblood.'_

_Hermione looked on silently as across the camp a circle of men surrounded a young girl, their wands all pointed down at her. She was lying quite still on the ground, having just been struck four times in a row with the Cruciatus curse. Her screams were still ringing in Hermione's ears. She couldn't have been more than thirteen._

'_I said, GET UP!' one of the men flicked his wand and the girl was thrown up into the air. As the other girls watched in horror from a careful distance, the girl dropped with a dull thud back to the ground. Beside Hermione, she heard Lavender let out a small sob._

_Slowly, one of the men walked forwards and turned the girl over with his foot. In the moonlight Hermione could see a trickle of blood running down her face. Her eyes were open and lifeless. She was dead._

'_Oh, well,' the man said, laughing coldly, 'Pick out another one.'_

_The girls scattered as the circle of men broke apart. Hermione didn't move. She was still staring, transfixed, at the dead girl. She wondered who her family had been. _

'_Hermione, come on, move!' Lavender hissed, pulling on her sleeve desperately. Hermione let herself be pulled away into the shelter of the trees. Lavender quickly pushed a small hammer into her hands and nudged Hermione closer to the tree that they had been working on earlier that day._

'_Look like you're doing something!' Hermione looked down at the hammer in her hands and then back at Lavender. She couldn't bring herself to raise it up and get to work. Not today._

'_Hermione, what is wrong with you?' Lavender moaned desperately as two men looked interestedly in their direction. One of them muttered to the other, then they slowly but surely changed direction and began walking towards them. Lavender whimpered and quickly turned to the tree, hammering it quickly as if she were deeply immersed in her work. Hermione did not move._

'_Come with us, mudblood,' one of the men said in a rough voice as they approached. Lavender kept working, pretending not to hear, but Hermione still could not move._

'_Are you deaf, mudblood? Come with us!' the second man said, drawing his wand. Hermione could make out the dull whimpers coming from Lavender's throat. She stood still, staring at the ground before her, as the man walked up to her. When Hermione didn't move he waved a hand in front of her face._

'_Looks like we got a crazy,' he said to his friend, a twisted smile appearing on his face._

'_Leave her,' the other man said in disgust. 'The psycho ones are no fun.'_

'_Well then, is her little friend as crazy as her?'_

_Lavender froze as the man moved away from Hermione. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and spun her around to look at her._

'_Beautiful,' he breathed, his stinking breath making Lavender recoil._

'_Grab her, then.'_

_Hermione couldn't even find her voice to scream at them, to beg them for mercy. She would have told them to take her instead. She would have told them to kill her in Lavender's place. She would have taken anything. But nothing was coming for her today and there wasn't a single person present who didn't know how useless it was to fight fate. _

_As Lavender's shrieks filled the night air, Hermione did not move an inch but for her eyes. They drifted shut, and while she listened to her friend being beaten she tried to imagine a better place._

_There wasn't one._

--

It wasn't until almost a week after the ball that Hermione was unfortunate enough to come face to face with a Malfoy again. Hermione had snuck into the gardens to read _Hogwarts: A History_. She had hidden herself inside a large clump of rosebushes, ignoring the sporadic thorns that stabbed into her skin. She would do anything to read again, and there wasn't enough light in her bedroom to see by. She was so enraptured by what she was reading that she didn't even notice as a dark shadow fell across her face.

'Having fun there, mudblood?' said an amused voice. Hermione jumped to her feet quickly, wincing as she trod on a particularly sharp thorn. She turned to see Malfoy smirking down at her. Hermione took in his appearance. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black swimming trunks and her eyes seemed magnetised to his chest. Malfoy cocked an eyebrow at her.

'You alright there?' he said sarcastically, his voice full of malicious laughter. Hermione started and looked away, blushing scarlet. She turned and began to walk away, but Malfoy called after her.

'Join me for a swim, Granger.' She froze and turned to look at him.

'I beg your pardon…Master?'

'Swim with me.'

'Why? Master?' Hermione glared at him in pure hatred. She hoped that he could read her eyes, because right now she was telling with that she wanted nothing more than for him to throw himself into the lake and drown. She still hadn't forgiven him for his recent escapades. Being near him only served to jog her memory of all the unpleasant things that she would rather forget - like the fact that he had seen her naked, for instance. And the fact that he had touched her in places she didn't even touch herself_._ And the fact that his lips tasted like heaven.

'Because I said so,' Malfoy smirked and strolled away. Hermione followed him reluctantly and stood by the water's edge as he dived in. She shrieked as she was soaked to the skin, and Malfoy emerged. He took one look at her and laughed nastily.

'Get in,' he ordered.

'Wearing what?'

'What you've got on. I thought you were meant to be _smart, _mudblood.'

Hermione scowled at him as she very slowly stepped into the water. It was surprisingly warm and as she sank into it the water glittered around her in a comforting manner. _This isn't so bad, _she smiled vaguely. She lay on her back and did several strokes, propelling her body through the water. When she tried to stand she found that the water had suddenly gotten much deeper and she spluttered as she was forced to tread water. Malfoy watched in amusement as she quickly grew tired in the water. More than two years of barely eating and slave labour had certainly weakened her muscles.

'Malfoy!' Hermione spluttered angrily. The water seemed to be slowly filling her mouth as her arms grew tired. Malfoy made his way towards her in the water smoothly and grabbed her around the waist. Hermione spat the lake water out of her mouth and sighed in relief as he held her safely above the surface. Hermione noticed with a scowl that he was standing in the water with ease. Obviously it wasn't as deep as she had thought.

'You can let go of me now, thanks,' she said in irritation. But Malfoy smirked and held her closer. Hermione was suddenly reminded of the night she had seen him with Pansy. She felt sick at the thought and tried to push him away. But when he held on tightly she changed tactics, splashing a large amount of water into his face. He dropped her instantly and Hermione slid beneath the water, coming back up coughing and laughing. She swam away from him quickly and he growled as he gave chase. He caught up to her in seconds and dunked her below the water, holding her there for slightly longer than was necessary. Then he let her go and swam away cackling madly as her head reappeared, her hair now plastered to her face and her expression livid.

Hermione chased him across the lake with the intention of shovelling algae into his mouth when suddenly Malfoy sank below the surface. She paused, treading water and spinning in circles as she waited to see where he reappeared. Out of the blue, a hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her under. Hermione opened her mouth to scream and immediately wished she hadn't as a large amount of dirty lake water filled her mouth. When she bobbed up to the surface Malfoy was swimming in circles around her, chuckling softly.

'Enjoying your swim?' he taunted. Hermione splashed him again and streaked away under water. She reached the bank and was just climbing out when Malfoy bowled her over, sending her flying onto the soft grass by the water's edge. He landed on top of her, laughing triumphantly, and Hermione's eyes widened. Malfoy stopped laughing suddenly and stared at her curiously. She looked ridiculous with her hair plastered to her scalp and water dripping delicately from her eyelashes. But Malfoy didn't feel like laughing. He frowned as he scanned her face.

'What?' she whispered, the breath practically knocked out of her by his weight on top of her. Malfoy didn't answer straight away.

'Nothing,' he said eventually, his voice filled with a sudden venom. 'Get away from me, mudblood.'

Hermione opened her mouth in annoyance to remind him that _he _was on top of _her, _but upon seeing the look on his face she decided he was not in a good enough mood to put up with her cheek. When seconds ago he had been laughing, almost as if he were having _fun_ as he chased her through the water, he now looked close to wrapping his fingers around her throat and choking the life out of her.

Malfoy quickly stood up and brushed himself off. And without another word he walked back up to the house. Hermione stared after him in complete disarray. The way he had been looking at her was…not right. There had been some kind of conflict flickering in his eyes. It was halfway between anger and…she didn't know what. Sighing, Hermione got shakily to her feet. That man was the only puzzle she had ever come across in her entire life that she couldn't solve.

Just as she was wringing the water out of her skirt, Malfoy suddenly came striding back outside. He was still in his swimming trunks and he was still soaking wet. Hermione heard his angry footsteps and looked up. The expression on his face made her freeze. He was striding purposefully towards her, a look of determination on his handsome face. She didn't even have time to open her mouth before Malfoy was upon her, his lips working against hers furiously. Hermione kissed him back hungrily, her hands exploring his wet chest. Malfoy groaned in the back of his throat as he pulled her body against his and Hermione felt with shock something hard pressing against her stomach. She gasped and took a step back, breathing heavily. Malfoy looked at her out of hooded eyes and took a step towards her.

'Don't,' she whispered, holding out her hands to stop him. His expression changed suddenly but then it was inscrutable. He nodded slightly, more to himself than to her, and then turned and walked quickly back to the house. Hermione watched him go again, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Malfoy had kissed her again. But then…she had told him to stop, and he had actually listened to her. Hermione was confused beyond belief as she made her way back to the kitchens to dry off.

--

Malfoy was pacing the length of his room. He did not understand what had just happened. When he had landed on top of her and looked down at her he was seized again with the desire to kiss her. But that wasn't supposed to happen. He was only meant to kiss her to torture her, not to please himself. He had tried to walk away, but he needed to prove to himself that he was in control. So he had gone back to kiss her. But he couldn't stop himself. It had been _her_ who had ended it.

Malfoy let out a roar of frustration and punched his fist into the wall. He felt the bone in his knuckle shatter instantly and he bellowed in pain. The wall glittered innocently at him as he took out his wand and pointed it in frustration. A curse flew wordlessly from the tip and a large hole appeared in the wall, doing what his bare hand could not. Malfoy stood, breathing heavily, his wand raised in front of him. His wand clattered to the floor and rolled away.

'This is ridiculous!' he hissed. He was going crazy. He stormed angrily from his room and stomped down the hall. He stopped at the top of the staircase and opened his mouth to roar.

'ELF!' he bellowed. 'GET HERE NOW!'

Instantly the elf called Danky appeared at his side looking terrified. Malfoy held out his arm.

'My hand. Fix it,' he ordered. The elf looked at him nervously.

'Master, only a wizard can fix bones. It requires a wand,' Danky said looking as though he had just signed his own death warrant. Malfoy roared and stomped down the staircase. When he reached the hall he looked into the dining room.

'Mother,' he said coldly as he stormed into the room, spotting her at the table. She glanced up from the paper she was reading..

'I thought I heard you making that awful racket,' she said. Malfoy glowered at her and held out his hand.

'Fix it,' he commanded. Narcissa sighed and reached for her wand. She muttered a few well chosen words and immediately Malfoy felt a tingling in his hands as the bones healed. He flexed his fingers angrily.

'Really, Draco. You need to learn to control your temper.'

'Yeah, yeah. Thanks,' he muttered as he left again. Narcissa watched him go with some concern. She didn't know what was wrong with him at the moment but he had certainly not been himself lately. He would have to be careful or his father would have to straighten him out…

--

Hermione found with great confusion that now Malfoy seemed to be avoiding her just as much as she was trying to avoid him. She couldn't trust him around her and she certainly couldn't trust herself. He didn't even have to order her to enjoy it when he kissed her. She did that all on her own.

Several days had gone by since they had gone swimming and Hermione had not seen him since. She was finding it hard to settle back into the rhythm of living at the manor now that it was so unpredictable. Her bells no longer rang, but he still managed to find her and torture her. She didn't understand what he was playing at. Shouldn't he have moved on from the kissing by now and onto something more sinister? Although, Hermione reminded herself repeatedly, she didn't _want _that to happen, so she should be thankful.

She had spent the last few days helping Flopsy to make his necklace for Minky. He had managed to make an absolutely gorgeous little heart, and Minky had been delighted when Hermione delivered it to her. Hermione had then suggested that she tell Flopsy herself just how much she liked it, and then ask him to cook her dinner. This would make a lot more sense than cooking dinner for him herself, because as Flopsy had pointed out a house elf was much happier doing the cooking. It was a compliment.

Satisfied that her match-making skills were proving to be rather successful, Hermione's mood was beginning to pick up. She was insisting that the elves teach her to cook like they did, and they took great delight in showing her how to make the most complicated dishes they could come up with. So far Hermione had only mastered the art of custard, something that embarrassed her to the core. But the elves insisted that it was a very hard dessert to make and Hermione kept trying. She had a liking for desserts and was now being taught how to bake a lemon tart. All of this seemed to remind her of something that she hadn't given thought to since the ball.

'Tellty,' Hermione said hesitantly, speaking to the elf beside her. He was considered the master of desserts in the elves opinion and was in charge of teaching her the latest dessert.

'Yes, miss Hermione?' he said, glancing up from the lemon he was grating.

'Just Hermione,' she said out of habit. 'I've just realised something. It's…it's my birthday in six days.'

'We must have a party for you!' Tellty cried delightedly. The elves nearby cheered in agreement and Hermione felt her face flush with pleasure.

'No, that's not necessary!' she tried to protest, but they were already planning exactly what food they would cook for her. 'I was only going to ask if we could make a cake!'

'But of course, Hermione, we is going to make you a cake!' Tellty said delightedly. Hermione smiled, suddenly feeling close to tears.

'That would be…that would be…thank you,' she whispered. She hadn't celebrated a birthday in years. September had rolled in surprisingly fast. The ball had taken place on the last night of summer and that had been almost two weeks ago. In just a few days Hermione would be nineteen. The tears escaped from her eyes as she imagined the day that was to come. Hopefully...it would be the first real day of happiness in a long, long time.

--

**Next chapter, Hermione's birthday! I can tell you right now that it's going to be a very interesting day...Lucius might finally show his true colours, Narcissa may continue to be as uesless as ever, but most importantly...there possibly may be a little more Hermione/Malfoy action. Hehe...**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please let me know your thoughts! xxxxx**


	18. The Devil

**Hi everyone, and merry christmas! This chapter, plus the new one for It's Just Me are my chrissy presents to all of you :) Plus, some of the reviewers seemed quite close to becoming abusive if i didn't update soon!**

**So, here we have the birthday...one of my favourite chapters, definitely some development in the Hermione/Draco relationship if you ask me. Just want to thank 'a fan' for their review, thanks for putting in the time to write me such a nice long review. and of course, thanks to everyone else who reviewed, you know i'm only writing this for you.**

**So...merry christmas and enjoy!!**

**--**

The next few days rolled by quicker than Hermione could have imagined. Suddenly it was September 19th and she was being shaken awake by a crowd of excited elves.

'Happy birthday, Hermione!' they chanted, bursting into applause. Hermione grinned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

'No, no!' Minky cried quickly. 'You is not working today! You is to do whatever you wants!'

'But I _want _to work!' Hermione insisted. The elves grinned at her. 'What?' she said suspiciously.

'We has a surprise for you,' Minky said. The elves suddenly parted and Flopsy appeared, a large book in his arms. It was _A History of Magic, _another of Hermione's old favourites. She took it from him delightedly.

'Where did you get this?' she asked in amazement. He grinned guiltily.

'I snuck it from the library,' he admitted. Hermione laughed and kissed him on the cheek. It was a mark of how much they cared for her that they would dare steal from the Manor.

'Thank you, all of you!' she beamed at the elves as they departed happily, leaving her breakfast on a tray for her. It was a large stack of pancakes dripping in butter and maple syrup. She ate it happily with the book balancing on her lap. This was going to be a good day, she just knew it.

--

Meanwhile, in the dining room, the three Malfoy's were just sitting down to their own breakfast. Malfoy was immersed in the paper, not paying attention to his parents' conversation, when suddenly he heard his own name and looked up irritably.

'Yes?' he asked his mother.

'When will Pearl be coming by again? We haven't seen her for a while.'

'She has been ill,' Malfoy replied easily, turning back to the paper. But Narcissa continued, her voice becoming forceful.

'Well, make her _un_-ill. I wish for her to dine with us tonight.'

'Fine,' Malfoy said curtly. Lucius cleared his throat and Malfoy looked up exasperatedly.

'_Yes?_'

'Draco, you know what must happen,' Lucius said in his most commanding voice. Malfoy raised his eyebrows.

'_Now?_'

'Yes. Tonight.'

'I've barely been seeing her a month,' Malfoy said through gritted teeth.

'Yes, but I have a feeling this one will be around for a long time. The sooner, the better.'

The two men glared at each other for a long time before Malfoy sighed and got up. He stormed out of the room to finish his breakfast in his room. Narcissa turned to her husband.

'Is tonight really the time, dear?' she asked hesitantly. He glanced at her warningly.

'Yes, Narcissa. I can see that Draco likes this girl and she won't be going anywhere for a while. The girl has to know how it works in this family.'

'Alright. Just try not to scare her _too_ much,' Narcissa sighed and turned back to her breakfast. Lucius smiled coldly. Pearl would be in for a surprise tonight.

--

The rest of Hermione's day went by like a dream. She was just washing her hands to help the elves prepare her birthday cake when a bell rang above her head. Looking up, the smile disappeared from her face when she saw it was hers. It rang three times. She sighed heavily.

She had barely seen Malfoy since their little swim and that's how she liked it. The times that she had run into him, she had the distinct impression that he was trying to run away from her - and she couldn't think of a better birthday present from him than that. So why was he now calling her to his room? And on today, of all days?

'I'll be back soon,' she promised the elves. She would go and see what he wanted and take care of it as fast as possible.

It was with some irritation that several minutes later she knocked on his bedroom door. A tiny part of her wondered if he'd remembered her birthday, and for the smallest fraction of a second she dared to dream that something pleasant waited for her on the other side of the door.

'Enter,' he called. The doors slid open and she stepped over the threshold. Malfoy looked clean and impeccably handsome in a black suit. For one wild second Hermione thought that she'd gotten it right, and that he had remembered her birthday and was throwing a surprise for her. That was crazy, though. And of course, she was right. The truth was much more unpleasant, as usual.

'You will be joining us for dinner tonight,' he said coldly. Hermione's mouth dropped open in horror.

'_Tonight?_'

'Yes.'

'I can't!' Malfoy looked at her as if she were crazy. He seemed to be in an exceptionally bad mood.

'What, you had plans?' he said sarcastically.

'Something like that,' Hermione replied crossly. Malfoy glowered.

'Too bad. Get in the bath.'

Hermione didn't move. She needed to get back to the kitchens or she would miss her own birthday cake! But without wasting any time, Malfoy pulled out his wand and a sudden scorching pain filled her body. Hermione didn't even have time to scream as it lasted less than a second - it had been a mere jinx. Glaring at him, Hermione stomped into the bathroom and stripped off quickly, making sure the door was firmly closed.

She bathed as quickly as possible and it didn't take long before she was clean - she had managed to keep herself relatively dirt-free lately. She climbed out and towelled herself off, then looked around expectantly for her clothes. There was another black dress sitting on the dressing table waiting for her. She slipped on her own underwear and bra and then the dress. It was impossibly tight and as she looked in the mirror Hermione scowled. It hugged every part of her body perfectly. It looked great but she didn't want to admit it.

Pressing her ear to the door to make sure Malfoy wasn't nearby, Hermione whispered, 'Flopsy!' Instantly the elf appeared at her side and Hermione winced at the loud sound his appearance made.

'Is something wrong, Hermione?' Flopsy asked, taking in their surroundings.

'Yes. Well, sort of. Is it okay if we have the party a bit later?' Hermione asked apologetically. Flopsy grinned at her.

'Of course! We is having more time to set up, then!' and with that he was gone again. Hermione sighed in relief. That was one problem taken care of, at least.

Leaving the bathroom, Hermione found Malfoy waiting for her impatiently with a pair of heels in his hand. If he had heard Flopsy's arrival he didn't mention it as he shoved the shoes into her hands. They were a beautiful silver, and Hermione slipped them on with no hesitation whatsoever. It _was _kind of nice that she got to dress up on her birthday. Malfoy pulled out his wand and for the third time Hermione felt cool sparks hitting her face as she was transformed.

'Let's go,' Malfoy said darkly. Hermione followed him downstairs, walking slower than usual in her heels, and they entered the dining room to find Narcissa and Lucius waiting for them expectantly.

'Hello, my dear,' Narcissa said warmly, standing up and kissing Hermione on both cheeks. She returned them, smiling slightly ironically. It was funny that for her birthday she would be dining with a collection of people she hated more than the devil himself. 'We didn't hear you come in.'

'I flooed from Draco's study,' Hermione replied coolly, now an expert at pretend conversation with Narcissa. The key was confidence - it didn't matter what you said, as long as you looked arrogant while you said it.

'Pearl,' Lucius said, bowing to her.

'Nice to see you again, Lucius.' She curtsied back and sat down into the chair Malfoy was holding out for her.

'Thank you,' she said primly as he sat down beside her.

'You're welcome,' he replied, frowning at her. Hermione wondered why he seemed to be in such a bad mood.

Dinner was an elaborate affair, even more so than usual. Hermione tried not to eat too much, thinking of the cake she knew would be waiting for her downstairs. Narcissa was full of a new set of questions for her.

'Draco said you haven't been feeling well, dear?'

'What? Oh, yes. I mean, no. I had a rather nasty cough.'

'But you're better now?'

'Much better, thank you.'

'Well then, let us hope that Draco hasn't caught it off you.'

Hermione blushed as Malfoy glared at his mother.

'What?' Narcissa said innocently. 'I can't help it if my son is exceptionally handsome.' Malfoy's scowl deepened as Narcissa patted his cheek fondly and winked at Hermione.

'Can we get through a single meal without bringing up my looks, mother?' Malfoy said through clenched teeth, looking embarrassed. Hermione smirked into her glass.

'Just pointing out the obvious, Draco. We could talk about something else.'

'Good.'

'Pearl, did you know that Draco is particularly skilled with a wand?' Narcissa continued. Malfoy groaned and hid his face in his hand as Lucius looked on in amusement.

'I had heard that, actually. I've been trying to convince him to duel with me, but he keeps refusing,' Hermione said lightly, ignoring Malfoy as he shot her a warning look.

'He's quite right, dear. You could get seriously hurt,' Narcissa nodded at her son in approval and it was Hermione's turn to scowl. She would have loved the chance to beat Malfoy in a duel - though of course she wouldn't have been able to hold onto the wand anyway, so it didn't matter.

'Draco wouldn't hurt me,' Hermione smiled, staring at Malfoy with a mixture of irony and hatred that his parents missed. He couldn't possibly hurt her more than he already had.

'That's good to hear,' Narcissa said, seeming strangely relieved. 'I've heard that you can get quite rough in the bedroom, Draco,' she said to him, frowning slightly. Malfoy choked slightly on his mouthful of meat and Hermione felt herself reddening from embarrassment at the unexpected turn of conversation.

'I don't know where you heard that from, Mother, but it's none of your business,' Malfoy said angrily when he could finally talk. Narcissa waved a hand in defeat.

'Fine, fine. Just as long as you two are being safe -'

'Oh, Merlin,' Malfoy groaned, closing his eyes in frustration. Lucius, who had been watching the conversation whilst staring intently at Pearl, suddenly spoke.

'I hope that you will join me and Draco after dinner for a rather more private…_talk_,' he said. Hermione's smile faltered slightly.

'Of course,' she said politely, though inside she was screaming. _My cake!_

So once dinner was over Hermione reluctantly followed the two Malfoy men from the room. Narcissa said goodbye to her with a strange look of apprehension on her face that made Hermione feel uneasy. But then Narcissa smiled and gave her a hug before announcing she was off to her sister's for the rest of the evening. She kissed her husband and son goodbye and left, then the three of them headed out into the hall. Hermione was surprised when they walked past the staircase and down a small corridor she hadn't been down before. Suddenly they came to a set of stairs and began to descend. Hermione clutched Malfoy's shoulder to stop herself from falling - there were no lights on this staircase.

After they had walked for what felt to Hermione like hours, the floor evened out and torches along the walls burst into life. Hermione shivered as she looked around. They were in a big, dark room that had a real ominous feel to it. The walls were pitch black and the hard stone floor echoed as she stepped inside. There was no fireplace and the cold was already getting to her. There were several black leather chairs in the centre of the room and one large, black cupboard against the opposite wall.

'Have a seat, my dear,' Lucius said with a crooked smile. Hermione did as she was told, clutching herself tightly in the cold. As they all stepped into the room a large door that Hermione hadn't noticed swung shut and seemed to seal itself. Lucius sat down opposite her and Malfoy sat on the arm of her chair, watching his father with a very wary expression on his face. Hermione had a horrible sense of fear growing inside her.

'Now, as I'm sure you know, dear, we are a very old and respected pureblood family,' Lucius began. Hermione nodded. She didn't know what she was meant to say to that.

'Our blood line is perfect, our family name royalty among wizards. Many would kill to marry into our family,' Lucius continued. Hermione glanced up at Malfoy in puzzlement but he was staring straight ahead at the wall, his face set like concrete.

'And of course, we have a reputation to uphold,' Lucius went on. Hermione nodded at him. 'It is now up to Draco to continue the family line. And this is where _you _come in.'

Hermione blinked at him. What was he talking about?

'Now, I am not trying to rush the two of you into anything. But from what Narcissa has told me, you two seem to be getting along very well. And you, as a potential member of my family, must now learn…how should I put this? You must learn…how, ah, things _go_ around here.'

'Yes, Sir,' Hermione answered timidly. She was shivering in her seat. She didn't like the sound of this. She didn't like the sound of his _one little bit._ Lucius smiled at her.

'Please, call me Lucius. Now as I was saying…our family is very well-renowned throughout the world. We are a bloodline of class, power, pride, and of course, discipline. I am the head of this family. Soon Draco will take my place. But while I am in charge, he must know his place. Isn't that right, Draco?'

Hermione whipped her head around to look up at Malfoy in confusion. She didn't know what was going on but it couldn't be leading anywhere good. Malfoy nodded curtly and didn't speak. He looked slightly sick, Hermione thought. She turned back to Lucius to see he was appraising Malfoy with narrowed eyes. Suddenly he stood and walked over to the cupboard against the wall. He pointed his wand at the lock and it sprang open. As the doors bounced off their hinges, Hermione let out loud gasp.

Inside were shelves upon shelves of whips of every shape and size. There were whips with nine tails. Whips made of metal chain. Whips covered in tiny spikes. Anything Hermione could ever have imagined and much, much worse.

Lucius stood back to look at her, a look of satisfaction on his face at her reaction.

'Draco,' he said in his low, silky voice. Malfoy stood suddenly and Hermione started. His face was set, his expression unreadable. She cowered back into her seat but Malfoy made no move to grab her. Slowly, he joined his father by the cupboard and scanned through the selection of whips before him. As Lucius watched him carefully, he pulled out a long, silver whip that seemed to be charged with electricity. Tiny sparks flew off it and a quiet whirring was coming from the metal surface. Malfoy handed it to his father and walked away to stand by the wall.

Lucius turned to Hermione and she cringed away from him. She now understood why everyone was so afraid of him. She now understood how evil he really was. He was going to whip her - he was going to whip his son's girlfriend, just to teach her a lesson about how things ran in his family. But Hermione didn't need him to tell her that - she knew this family was one sick, twisted, _fucked up _collection of people.

'Please stand,' Lucius said quietly. Trembling from head to foot, Hermione got slowly to her feet and shuffled towards him. She stopped several metres away and eyed him in fear. But Lucius smiled at her and turned away to look instead at Malfoy. As his father turned to him, Malfoy's jaw seemed to clench. And then he reached up and shrugged his jacket off, dropping it on the floor. Slowly he slid off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt until he was naked from the waist down. As he turned levelly, his grey eyes hard, Hermione let out a gasp as she suddenly understood.

Lucius wasn't going to whip _her. _He was going to whip his _own son. _

'You will watch as I punish Draco,' Lucius said quietly. 'You will watch in _silence._ Understood?'

Hermione nodded, her hands covering her mouth in horror. Slowly, Lucius moved to stand behind his son. Malfoy raised his arms and placed his palms flat against the wall, his arms straight, looking almost casual as he leaned against it with his face turned to the floor.

And then, too quick for Hermione's eyes to follow, Lucius raised the whip in his hand and brought it down hard on his son's back. Hermione let out a small gasp as electricity seemed to crackle through the air. Malfoy gritted his teeth and didn't move, but a large gash had appeared on his back. Hermione stared in horror as again Lucius cracked the whip onto his back. Again and again he thrashed at Malfoy's skin, each time a new, deep cut appearing in his flesh. An electrical current seemed to course through Malfoy's body as the whip made contact with him, but he barely moved except for his hands, which tensed against the wall. Hermione held her breath in horror, unable to move or take her eyes away from the nightmare before her.

The torture went on for ten minutes before she finally cracked.

'Stop it!' she screamed. Lucius, the whip raised in his hands, turned to her slowly. Her eyes widened in fear and she backed away, but he smiled at her. One last time, he brought the silver whip down on his son's back. And then it was over.

Calmly, Lucius returned the whip to the cupboard and locked it with his wand. He turned to Hermione, who was still staring in horror at Malfoy.

'I hope that taught you a lesson about my family. We are of high class and high stature, and with that comes certain rules and obligations,' he said calmly to her. She couldn't speak, so she nodded silently.

'Good. I will see you soon, I hope,' Lucius smiled sweetly at her but Hermione's blood was cold. Lucius turned to leave and soon his footsteps faded away above their heads. Hermione turned quickly back to Malfoy as he slowly moved away from the wall and turned to her. His face was like a mask.

'Are you alright?' Hermione breathed. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had just been tortured by his own _father._ She could feel tears swimming in her eyes and she moved towards him hesitantly. His face was blank as she slowly reached out to touch him. 'Malfoy?' she whispered.

'I'm fine,' he suddenly snapped, flinching away from her hand and making Hermione jump. 'I hope you're happy.'

'Me? I didn't do anything!' Hermione cried. Malfoy looked at her emotionlessly.

'That was entirely for your benefit, you know,' he said coldly.

'I'm so sorry,' Hermione whispered. And she really _was _sorry. No son should have to suffer through such unspeakable acts. Malfoy looked slightly surprised. He took a step back and then winced in pain.

'Be careful!' Hermione cried, moving towards him. 'Here, let me see.'

'I'm fine,' Malfoy grumbled, but he begrudgingly turned and let her look at the damage of his back. She gasped as she took in the horror before her - dark red blood was dripping from the deep wounds. He looked like he had just come out of a fight with a werewolf. Hermione reached out tentatively to touch the raw skin and Malfoy hissed softly in pain, a small blue spark jolting from his body.

'Sorry,' she said quickly. Malfoy turned around and looked at her warily.

'It's fine,' he muttered. He reached down to pick up his clothes and staggered slightly. Hermione moved forwards to steady him and he held her tightly.

'Let me help you,' she whispered. He stared at her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. Hermione picked up his clothes for him and put her arm carefully against his side instead of around his back, leading him from the room. His eyes didn't leave her face as he leaned on her all the way upstairs. It was slow-going up to the third floor. Malfoy grimaced in pain with every step and Hermione bit her lip, not wanting to say anything.

When they reached his room the doors slid open for them and they moved inside.

'Lie down,' Hermione told him. Malfoy sighed and removed his arm from her shoulders.

'I'm fine,' he said through gritted teeth, heading for his liquor cabinet.

'You are _not _fine,' Hermione said irritably, walking around to stand in front of him.

'Out of my way, Granger,' Malfoy growled. She shook her head fiercely.

'No.'

'Don't try my patience.'

'You're losing blood.'

'I'm _fine._'

'No you're not!' Hermione stamped her foot angrily. For a moment Malfoy looked as if he wanted to smile at her stubbornness, but then his expression was angry again. They stared at each other for a long time before he finally sighed and turned away to his bed. Hermione shuddered as she again saw the damage that his father had caused to his back. With a grunt of pain Malfoy lay down on his front and kicked his shoes and socks off.

Hermione thought for a moment then tentatively made her way to the bathroom. Mercifully there was an empty bowl on the dressing table and Hermione filled it with warm water from the tap. She picked up a clean towel on her way out and carefully carried the bowl over to Malfoy's bedside table, setting it down carefully before sitting hesitantly down beside him. His eyes were closed but he was scowling. Slowly, she dipped the cloth into the water and pressed it to his back. Malfoy grimaced in pain but said nothing.

Carefully, Hermione cleaned the blood away from his back as gently as she could. Once the worst of it was gone she saw with relief that the cuts had stopped bleeding. She wouldn't have been able to do anything if they were still flowing - not without a wand. When she was done cleaning his wounds, she washed the blood from her hands and sat beside him, unsure of what to do with herself.

'I've cleaned it as well as I can,' she said finally. 'But I can't do much more without a wand.'

'A wand wouldn't work anyway. He has a jinx on his little _collection_. He likes to leave longer lasting reminders,' Malfoy said sourly. He sat up slowly, wincing, and sat beside her. There was a long silence.

'That was horrible, what he did to you,' Hermione suddenly whispered. Malfoy shook his head.

'For him, that wasn't so bad. He does it every time he thinks I'm getting serious with a girl.'

'Does that…does that happen often?'

'No.'

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. 'It's so wrong. He's your _father!_' Malfoy laughed dryly.

'So?'

'_So_, he shouldn't treat you like that!'

'It's how things go in this family,' Malfoy said. Hermione looked at him disbelievingly.

'And you don't mind?'

'It's how things go in this family,' he repeated. Hermione sighed. He sounded like a robot; this rubbish had probably been drilled into him from the moment of his birth. Malfoy turned away from her and she stared at his back. Slowly, she reached out and touched the raw skin. Malfoy shivered.

'Does it hurt much?' she whispered.

Slowly, Malfoy nodded. Hermione bit her lip, tears threatening to escape her eyes. She just couldn't comprehend that he could be so calm and collected after his father had done such a thing to him. If _her _father had ever tried such a thing - not that he would have in a million years - she would have screamed and kicked and cried the whole way through and never spoken to him again. It made her sad beyond belief to know the secrets of the Malfoy family. Everyone envied their lives. But what would they do if they knew the truth? The real horror that was the most repulsive and devious father-son relationship ever to exist? Although…they probably already knew. They were the most feared family out there, after all. Second only to Lord Voldemort.

Slowly, Hermione traced her fingers down his back, avoiding the deep red gashes carefully. Malfoy closed his eyes and didn't move until she came to a sudden halt. He turned around to look at her and was shocked to see tears creeping down her cheeks.

'You're crying for me?' he asked quietly. Hermione met his gaze slowly.

'Yes,' she whispered. For a long moment Malfoy stared at the girl before him. The girl he had gone out of his way for to make her life hell throughout their school years. The girl who had once slapped him across the face for laughing at her friend. The girl who had taken every insult he had ever thrown at her with her head held high. The girl who he had summoned from the camps for the sole purpose of ensuring the rest of her life was just as miserable as he had tried to make it all those years ago. The girl who he had tortured pitilessly for weeks and weeks. The girl he had forced to her knees and robbed her of her only remaining dignity. The girl he had tricked into getting drunk and then left her naked and rejected.

And she was sitting there, crying for him.

Hesitantly, he reached up and brushed the tear away from her soft cheek. Then, as slowly as possible, he leaned towards her and kissed her softly on the lips. He retreated and Hermione stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Then her eyes fluttered closed and he smiled slightly. Malfoy leaned forwards again and their lips met in the softest, sweetest kiss he had had ever experienced. They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, their kisses light and beautiful. When Malfoy finally pulled away Hermione pulled him back and kissed him again, this time more fiercely. He kissed her back and she let him take over, his strong, demanding lips dominating hers with ease.

Slowly, he pushed her gently down onto the bed and lay on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight. Hermione moaned into his mouth, her hands stroking his silvery hair. Malfoy traced his fingers along her side, making her quiver beneath him. Slowly, he raised his head to look at her. She looked confused and gorgeous, her lips slightly swollen and her eyes flickering brilliantly. Malfoy leaned down to trail his lips delicately along her neck and down to her chest. A small sigh escaped her lips as he kissed the tops of her breasts, sending a pleasant tingling through her body.

Malfoy looked up at her questioningly and she gazed back at him dreamily. Slowly she arched her back and he reached behind her to undo her dress. Hermione held her breath as he slid it down her body and dropped it on the floor. He looked her over and a small smile crept over his face. She looked so tempting; her smooth creamy skin was calling to him. She wore simple white underwear and Malfoy had to resist the urge to crease them into her soft folds. He leaned forwards to nibble gently on her ear.

'I should thank you,' he whispered. 'But I won't.' Hermione laughed weakly, barely able to remember how to speak to reply.

'I wouldn't expect you to.'

'Good.'

'You were so brave,' she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed as his lips made their way slowly back to her mouth.

'What did you expect of me?'

'I don't know. Not crying. Just…_anything._ You just _stood_ there.'

'I always do,' Malfoy growled in his deep voice. Hermione shivered as he captured her lips again. She was suddenly aware of how strong he was, holding himself above her. His body suddenly seemed twice its normal size, and she was hyper-aware that she was a girl and he was a man. That's how it felt - like he was the older, experienced man and she was the scared little schoolgirl. But right now she wasn't so scared.

As their lips became more demanding, her hands made their way along his arms and to his shoulders. Malfoy's tongue darted into her mouth as he leaned on one arm. His free hand slowly made its way down her chest, tracing a path down her stomach. Hermione moaned into his mouth as his fingers gently toyed with the waistband of her underwear. Then as Malfoy's fingers suddenly slid beneath the flimsy fabric and found her centre Hermione let out a gasp, her nails raking down his back.

Malfoy suddenly reared, roaring in pain. He got to his feet and turned away from her and Hermione saw several of his wounds had began to bleed again where she had run her nails across his skin.

'Sorry!' she squeaked quickly. Malfoy sighed but refused to look at her.

'Just get out,' he said coldly. Hermione bit her lip, feeling tears forming in her eyes again. She picked her dress up off the floor and slid into it quickly before running from the room.

Malfoy sighed after her. Physical pain, he could certainly handle. But emotions…they were foreign to him.

--

When Hermione returned to the kitchens she was greeted with loud cheering from the house elves, who stood beaming at her as she leapt in shock.

'You scared me!' she choked, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. But then she spotted her cake and all fear and hurt was forgotten. 'Oh my - it's _amazing!'_

The elves beamed at her as they wheeled the biggest cake she had ever seen towards her. It had three layers and was iced in white icing with delicate blue flowers placed carefully around the edge. On top were nineteen long, golden candles.

'Make a wish, Hermione!' Minky beamed at her. Hermione thought for a second before blowing out the candles. The elves clapped and suddenly a stack of plates were zooming towards her. Hermione happily cut a slice for everyone and enjoyed her own piece so much that she had seconds, then thirds.

'Is Hermione alright?' Flopsy asked quietly when nobody was listening.

'I'm fine,' Hermione said, scowling suddenly. 'You know what? I'm quite tired all of a sudden. I think I'll go to bed.'

The elves all hugged her as she made her way across the kitchen and she thanked them profusely for making her day. As soon as her bedroom door was closed Hermione let out a long, weary sigh.

_Some birthday, _she thought miserably as she tucked herself into bed, desperately hoping that her night's worth of horrors wouldn't visit her in her dreams.

--

**The real Lucius finally comes out...what did you guys think? Leave me a review and let me know :) lots of love xxx**


	19. The Confronter

**Hi everyone, I'm BACK for another chapter of your favourite story! Sorry I took so long to update, I'm having a little bit of block with this story at the moment. I still have the major plot outlined but I'm just at a point where I'm not sure what I want to happen right now. But this is definitely the longest chapter yet :)**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed, I love you guys more than anthing and you're the reason this story is still going! Special thanks to "a fan" - your review made me laugh! And I need to give you some credit because I used your suggestion in this chapter :) Also thanks to some of my very faithful reviewers who were lovely: JoyyoJ, tigerlily3489, Bullet2tm, hope-is-adream, DracosPunkBabe, and everyone else of course!! One more thanks to GabrielaHP, who pointed out to me that there a lot of scenes where they get really close to doing something and then Draco stops it at the last second. Yes, this is true...I just want it to be like OMG AMAZING when something finally happens and I'm waiting for the perfect moment...but I promise the wait won't be much longer.**

**Onto the story...and don't forget to let me know your thoughts when you're done!**

--

The following day Hermione felt strangely depressed. After the events she had witnessed last night she felt a new fear as she moved about the manor helping the elves with their chores. She only hoped that Lucius Malfoy never discovered that she was there - he would undoubtedly have her down in that room in seconds. Hermione shivered at the thought. Next to his father, Malfoy seemed almost likeable.

And speaking of Malfoy…Hermione frowned. He had treated her almost with care before he had kicked her out of his room. Was it all just part of his big plans for her? When she had looked into his eyes they seemed so sincere…but that just wasn't possible. Why would Malfoy care for her? He simply wanted to bed her and be done with it.

And yet, Hermione reasoned, he'd had plenty of opportunities to do that - apart from the obvious fact that she was his slave. And he had now sent her away three times - the first, after the ball. The second, in the library. And the third, last night. What was he doing? He'd had her naked and willing beneath him - much to Hermione's complete humiliation. If he was trying to make her feel ashamed of herself it was certainly working. She was ashamed, guilt-ridden, embarrassed, confused…what _wasn't _she?

Hermione now wished more than ever that she could see Lavender again. The things that were running through her head were feelings Hermione hadn't felt in a very long time. She had so many questions she wanted answers to. Why did she enjoy Malfoy kissing her so much? Why did she feel so sorry for him after everything he had done to her? Why did she feel hurt, not relief, when he pushed her away? And why, _why_ did she feel the inexplicable urge to be near him again? Could it be possible that she was starting to see the real man beneath the seemingly unfathomable exterior? And could it be possible that she was _liking_ what she was seeing?

_No, _Hermione told herself crossly. _You are being ridiculous. He is still an evil, self-centred prick. You just like that he makes you feel wanted._

And this was true. After so, so long of being alone, Hermione couldn't help clinging to the only shreds of comfort that she was given. She would give anything to be loved by someone, the way that Ron had loved her. She knew that this would never happen. She knew that she would never find happiness. But she just wanted someone - anyone - to care for her. The elves were one thing, but it wasn't enough. They weren't human, and as much as she cared for them they could never truly understand her. Lavender was another. But Hermione knew that she would never see her again, and that it would do her no good to cling to the past.

Hermione missed her parents more every single day. She missed Mr and Mrs Weasley. And suddenly she realised that she had a whole new reason to hate Malfoy. He had a set of parents. He had a mother who loved him so badly she couldn't even hide it - sure, his mother may arguably have a few screws loose up there. But Hermione wanted that more than anything. She just wanted to be loved.

But she couldn't hate him after what she had witnessed last night. It was a crime that to her - to someone who prized family above all else - was unforgivable. She couldn't help but pity Malfoy for what he had to endure every day of his life. It was an all-new form or torture, as far as Hermione was concerned. One that she, who had been through so much, had never had to face. No wonder he was so messed up.

At long last, while she was busy thinking and scrubbing the hallway floor, Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. She straightened quickly to see Malfoy and - much to her horror - Seamus walking through the front door towards her. Seamus froze when he saw her and a terrible smile crept across his face. Malfoy didn't even glance at her as he headed for the stairs.

'Finnigan,' he called warningly. Seamus scowled at him.

'I'll be up in a minute.'

Malfoy sighed but kept walking. Hermione wanted desperately to call after him, to beg him not to leave her alone with the monster before her. As soon as he was gone Seamus turned to Hermione. He smiled cruelly at her and she glared back.

'What do you want, _traitor?_' she said venomously. She was feeling bold today. Seamus' smile widened. And suddenly he moved towards her so fast Hermione didn't have time to react as he slapped her hard across the face. Hermione staggered and fell against the wall, looking up at him in horror.

'I've been wanting to do that for _sooo_ long,' Seamus grinned at her, his lips curling horrifically back over his snarling teeth. She opened her mouth to pour all of her fury and confusion out onto him, but he quickly moved forwards and grabbed her, his hand tightly covering her mouth.

'I dare you to scream, mudblood,' he breathed. Hermione's eyes widened in fear. 'Go on, I _dare _you.'

He moved his hand and Hermione took a deep breath, preparing to let out the loudest scream she could muster in the hopes of piercing his eardrums. But suddenly Seamus had his wand against her throat.

'Brave little mudblood, aren't you?' he sneered. Hermione eyed his wand warily.

'I wish I could say the same for you. Hiding behind your wand.'

Seamus slapped her again, harder, and Hermione fell to the floor.

'You better watch yourself, mudblood, or I'll do to you what I did to your _friend._'

Hermione froze. 'What?'

'You heard me.'

'Who are you talking ab -'

'FINNIGAN!' Malfoy suddenly roared from the top of the stairs. Sneering down at her, Seamus followed Malfoy obediently up the stairs. Hermione stared after him.

Malfoy's interruption had definitely been timed. That was the second time in a row that he had referred to something she didn't understand but was obviously meant to. What could he be talking about? Hermione thought quickly and decided that she was feeling just brave enough to chance some eavesdropping. As quietly as she could, Hermione crept upstairs and onto the third floor landing. There were voices nearby. Edging closer to the wall, Hermione made her way silently along the hall until she reached an open door. As she sank down to the floor, an angry male voice spoke from within.

' - don't see why you need _my _help, Finnigan.'

'Draco, you know the Dark Lord favours your skills in this area.'

'I was under the impression that I had passed the torch onto _you._'

Hermione heard Seamus laugh dryly.

'No one could ever do it quite like you, Draco.'

'I know.' Hermione could tell from his voice that he was caught between pride and frustration.

'So why don't you want to come with me? It'll be fun.'

'I have more important things to take care of.'

There was a long, tense silence before Seamus spoke again.

'Like what, may I ask?'

'That is none of your business.'

'It wouldn't have anything to do with your Father, by any chance?' Seamus asked innocently, though his voice was loaded with a deadly sweetness.

'And what do you mean by that?'

'I can see you are in some pain today, Draco.'

'So?'

'So…Lucius not happy with you?'

'Not at all, Finnigan.' Malfoy's voice was cold and guarded.

'So what, you whipped _yourself?'_ Seamus said in disbelieving sarcasm. There was a pause.

'Watch your tone, Finnigan,' Malfoy said so quietly Hermione had to lean closer to hear.

'Sorry,' Seamus said, sounding foolish.

'Do not forget who you are speaking to. You may get away with more than others, but I will not tolerate such disrespect.'

'Right you are, Draco. I am dreadfully sorry,' Seamus said, not sounding sorry at all.

'You're a terrible liar, Finnigan.'

'Right. Sorry.'

'There you go again,' Malfoy sounded amused now. 'Now…as you were saying?'

'Oh, yes. It's a family. Six of them, four daughters apparently. Russia. Mum and dad are smart, they know we're after them.'

'And why exactly _are_ we after them?'

'The guy used to be a famous potions master, specialised in the Dark Arts. The Dark Lord believes he could be very useful if we can get our hands on him.'

'Interesting. And no one else can make these potions in his place?'

'No. He invented them himself, only he knows how.'

'I see. And where do I come in to this equation?'

Hermione held her breath, listening so intently her ears were throbbing.

'You know, Draco,' Seamus said slightly warily. Malfoy sighed heavily.

'Which one?'

'The eldest.'

'How old, exactly.'

'Sixteen.' Malfoy made a noise of disgust.

'I hate the underage ones.'

'Really? That's funny, because I could have sworn a little while ago you saying they were your favourite.'

'Things change, Finnigan,' Malfoy said coolly. There was another silence, the longest yet.

'This couldn't have anything to do with the girl, could it?' Seamus suddenly whispered.

'What girl?'

'The mudblood.'

Hermione's heart was hammering against her chest. Were they talking about her? She leaned even closer to the open door to hear Malfoy's reply.

'I don't know what you're talking about, Finnigan.'

'Oh, come on, Draco. Dressing her up for the ball? Having dinner with your parents?'

'I don't see how any of that is your concern?'

'It's my concern because you haven't been yourself lately.'

'Oh? How so?' Malfoy's voice was filled with venom.

'I saw you at the ball. You barely talked to any of the women and they were slobbering all over you.'

'I've told you before, I've already slept with all of them.'

'So?'

'_So_,' Hermione could tell Malfoy was sneering now. 'You may enjoy going back for seconds, but once I've had them once I've had them enough.'

'What about Pansy?' Malfoy scowled.

'My father is rather fond of her. Sleeping with her keeps him off my back.'

Hermione's eyes widened at all the information she was taking on board. What did it matter to Seamus if Malfoy was sleeping with someone? What did she have to do with any of this? And what was it that he wanted him to do for him?

'But what about the mudblood, Draco?'

'What about her?'

'You seem rather favourable of having her around.'

'You're right. I am. Because nothing brings me more pleasure than to make her suffer.'

'Really? Because I thought nothing brought you more pleasure than to -'

'_No,_ Finnigan,' Malfoy cut him off, sounding livid.

'Are you sleeping with her, Draco?' Seamus asked quietly. Malfoy let out a snort of laughter.

'_Me_, sleep with a _mudblood? _Do you not know me at all?'

'Alright, alright. It just seems that…' Seamus broke off.

'What?' Malfoy pressed him, sounding deadly.

'It seems that you're putting a lot of effort into her.'

'I already explained to you what her appeal to me is.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know you've been torturing her and all that. But then, explain to me this.'

'Go on,' Malfoy allowed, his voice a low purr.

'If you are being so cruel to her…why does she like you so much?'

Hermione reeled as if he had slapped her again. Her heart was going crazy against her rib cage. She waited a long time to hear Malfoy's reply.

'You are mistaken. She does not like me. I'm pleased to say that she absolutely loathes me.'

'No, Draco. I think this time you may have missed something.'

'I miss nothing.'

'She could barely stay away from you at the ball.'

'So?'

'Downstairs a minute ago, she blushed at the sight of you.'

'I _am_ rather ridiculously attractive,' Malfoy said with clear amusement in his voice.

'I hadn't noticed,' Seamus said sarcastically. Malfoy laughed softly.

'If the mudblood felt anything towards me it is nothing but fear.'

'I don't know, Draco. Are you sure you haven't slept with her?'

'Finnigan, I think I would remember something like that,' Malfoy said, still sounding amused.

'But -'

'Conversation is over, Finnigan.' Seamus sighed, sounding disappointed.

'Alright, but if you're not going to help me on this one I don't think the Dark Lord will be too happy with you.' It was Malfoy's turn to sigh.

'Alright, fine. I'll go with you. But one last thing,' Malfoy sounded dangerous again.

'Yes?' Seamus asked innocently. Hermione leaned forward, hardly daring to breathe.

'I would appreciate it if you didn't tell the mudblood anything about…your past. Not just yet.'

'Fine. Done.'

'Good. Let's get this over with, then.'

Hermione suddenly jumped as she heard chairs scraping and scrambled to her feet. She flew down the stairs and just made it to the doorway to the kitchens when the two men appeared, none the wiser.

Once Hermione was safely back in her room, she collapsed onto her bed and tried to make sense of what she had just heard. Malfoy didn't want her to know about Seamus' past - why? What had he done that he didn't want her to know? Or at least, that he didn't want her to know _yet?_ And what was this new mission that they were going on? Seamus had said something about a Russian family and a potions master. Hermione hadn't realised that there were still wizards and witches out there fighting against Voldemort. There must be very few left, she thought sourly.

This family was about to die, she knew that for sure. No one would survive the Death Eaters. And what had Seamus said? Something about four daughters, and the oldest…she was for Malfoy. Why? What was he going to do to her? Hermione shivered. She had a pretty good idea what kind of skills could be considered Malfoy's specialty. She had already fallen victim to them too many times.

Hermione sighed as she returned to the kitchens, not wanting to let the house elves do all the work. She only hoped this poor family didn't suffer for too much longer like she would.

--

Hermione waited impatiently for Malfoy to return from his mission. His mother didn't seem concerned at all by his unexplained absence, and Hermione guessed that Lucius knew exactly what he was up to. When Malfoy finally returned Hermione made sure to station herself on his floor so that she wouldn't miss his arrival. Under the pretence of shining the suits of armour along his corridor Hermione sat against the wall and waited until finally he appeared late in the night two days after his departure. He looked deeply unsettled about something, but froze when he saw her.

'Why are you here?' he demanded, stopping dead in his tracks. Hermione quickly picked up the cloth she had brought with her.

'Polishing,' she said shortly, getting to her feet. She didn't like feeling so vulnerable around him and she wanted to be able to run if she needed. But Malfoy didn't seem very likely to attack at this moment. His face was crumpled and his eyes looked terribly bloodshot. Before Hermione could stop herself she had opened her mouth again.

'What's wrong?' she asked curiously, taking in the deep purple bruises beneath his eyes and his clenched hands.

'Quiet,' Malfoy said curtly, glaring at her. But he made no move to walk past her and Hermione inexplicably found herself taking a step toward him. Warily, Malfoy backed away from her and Hermione paused. This was new.

'What, scared of me?' she grinned, but Malfoy's face remained stone-like.

'No,' he said, sounding edgy. Hermione's grin faltered and disappeared. She didn't know what propelled her to keep talking, all she knew was she suddenly felt the uncontrollable urge to put that smirk back on his face.

'What's with you?' she asked rudely. Malfoy's head snapped to the side as if she had slapped him and his eyes darkened.

'You are out of line,' he growled. Hermione bit her lip.

'Sorry…I just wanted to know.'

Malfoy stared at her for a long time, seeming surprised by her sudden retreat. Finally he sighed and strode past her towards his room.

'Stay away from me,' he snarled viciously as he walked away. Hermione turned to follow him with her eyes, feeling strangely upset by his decision to leave.

'Why?' she called after him. Malfoy froze but didn't turn around.

'Because I'm dangerous,' he said, and it was barely more than a whisper. Hermione felt a shiver run through her body but she couldn't make sense of his words. The air suddenly felt ten degrees cooler, and despite his earlier warning she couldn't find it within her to let him leave.

'I always knew that,' she said reasonably. Malfoy slowly turned to face her again, and his expression was livid.

'No. _Right now_, I'm dangerous,' he said clearly. Hermione frowned.

'What do you mean?' she said in confusion, searching his face for clues about his strange behaviour. She could see the change in him, but she wanted to know what had brought it about. Slowly, Malfoy's fists unclenched for the first time since he'd stepped into the hallway. And Hermione gasped.

His palms were shining with bright, crimson blood. It was gut-wrenchingly unmistakeable. Hermione's vision blurred as for a brief second of horror flashes of the past took her over. She was standing in a kitchen and red was shining on the walls. She was lying on the floor and Ron's head was in her lap.

_No, _Hermione thought desperately. She forced herself back into the present and Malfoy was still standing staring at her, his bloody hands by his sides unapologetically.

'What did you do?' she whispered in horror, though she already knew the answer.

'I did my job,' Malfoy said bitterly.

'And who was your job?' Hermione spat the words at him, disgusted.

'I don't know names. She was nobody,' Malfoy was beginning to shake but Hermione couldn't think past his words. She knew that he was talking about the Russian girl.

'Why her?' she whispered, unable to pry her eyes away from the fresh blood on Malfoy's hands. Malfoy didn't answer for a long time. When he finally spoke, his words weren't the answer to her question.

'She looked like you,' he said quietly. His whole body seemed to be trembling, and Hermione took a subconscious step towards him. Again Malfoy backed away from her.

'Stay back,' he warned, his voice suddenly loud and cold. Hermione froze. She abruptly understood what he had said. _Right now I'm dangerous. _He had just killed and he would do it again.

As this sunk in Hermione waited for her legs to start running, but nothing happened. She was frozen to the spot, unable to turn away from the mess of a man before her. Because that's what he was right now. Unstable and dangerous, like he said. But scared and wounded, too. He may not know it, but the murders he was committing were destroying him. As Hermione processed all of this, she shook her head. Still no words came to her, though.

Malfoy began to growl quietly as he took in her expression. He didn't understand why she wasn't running from him, but he wanted to make her understand just what he was capable of. She had never seemed to grasp this, _ever, _no matter what he did to her. She needed to know. He didn't want to kill her. Wait - didn't he? Hadn't that been the point to bringing her here? She was getting much too comfortable. She needed another reminder.

'I didn't just kill her,' Malfoy whispered roughly, watching her face carefully for her reaction.

'What do you mean?' Hermione said breathlessly, her brow creasing in confusion. Malfoy sneered coldly.

'I'm a lady's man, mudblood. It's my job to get _inside_ the enemy lines.' He made the inflection as blunt as possible and Hermione reared as she understood.

'You…you -'

'Yes,' Malfoy confirmed coldly.

Hermione mouthed speechlessly at him. She didn't know why she was so surprised - she had always known that he was capable of such acts, of - how had he put it? - _defiling_ girls. But the hurt that was now drumming in her ears was different. Somehow, insanely, this felt personal.

'How could you?' she said, her voice barely audible. There were tears in her eyes and she didn't want him to see. He wouldn't know why they were there but that didn't matter. Malfoy just looked at her and turned to walk away. Hermione watched him enter his room and crumpled to the floor as the doors closed behind him.

Nobody wanted her. Not even Malfoy. He didn't even want to take her by force. He would rather travel across the world and look for underage Russian girls than go anywhere near her. The thought stung so much that Hermione could barely breathe.

She knew that she was acting insane. She knew that this thought should comfort her, that she wasn't in any danger from him in this way. But she just wanted to be wanted. It was only now that she realised how much she had been relying on the thought that he wanted her. It was ridiculous, she knew, but she had thought that she was getting through to him on some level. But he was still the heartless bastard without a single ounce of morality.

Hermione stumbled unseeingly to her feet and made her way down the stairs. Without thinking she ran down the hall and burst into the garden. It was mercifully empty but Hermione didn't notice as she ran to the edge of the lake and sank to her knees. The dark water glittered up at her innocently, and for one moment Hermione had the urge to throw herself in and never come back up. But she wouldn't give in. She wouldn't. She would keep on suffering through this as she knew she must.

Malfoy watched from his balcony as the girl he had just come so close to killing seemed to collapse in on herself by the water's edge. He knew that he was the cause of her pain, as he always was, but tonight it bothered him. She hadn't realised how very dangerous he had been to her back there.

He'd just killed four girls, all practically children. He could still hear their screams echoing in his ears. He didn't let himself look at the father as he led him away and handed him over to Seamus. It had been a job all too easy for him, and that seemed to bother him more than anything. He'd "accidentally" gotten himself lost and stumbled into the little pub that Seamus had directed him to, conveniently finding the eldest daughter hurriedly trying to buy supplies and get back to her family in hiding. Malfoy only needed to let her get a good eyeful of him and she was as tame as a Flobberworm in his hand - he'd never had to use force before when they were so willing. It had been simple to entice her upstairs, and once he was finished with her he had wrapped his hands around her neck.

'Apparate me,' he'd growled. 'Apparate me back to your family. Do it, witch.'

The girl hadn't had a choice. When she was in such a vulnerable state, where else could she go? Next thing Malfoy knew, he was right in the middle of their little hidey hole and the mission was over. It was a bloodbath. He would have nightmares about it for weeks.

But he'd had to do it - the man would never have come with him otherwise. And this was his job. He would do as he was ordered or suffer beyond death, as would his mother and father for his refusal.

Malfoy turned away from the garden and stormed into the bathroom to wash his hands. The blood ran down the sink, making him feel sick, and for one moment Malfoy felt as if his legs would not hold him up. He couldn't help himself - he glanced up into the mirror. The monster that he saw staring back at him made his heart stop. It wasn't normally this hard. The cold eyes he recognised all too well but he used to be proud of them. This time it just felt wrong - like he had something more to lose suddenly. Could it be that that…_mudblood _was making him feel remorse for his actions?

No. That wasn't possible.

The man in the mirror sneered and Malfoy suddenly let out a bark of laugh. The idea was absurd - that Hermione Granger could be turning him…_human. Good. _Everything he wasn't meant to be. For as long as he could remember his father had dragged him down to his dungeon chamber and tortured him mercilessly, always with the same message: Obey. Conquer. Destroy. As he got older Lucius began teaching him all he knew, knowing that one day he would take over. He had promised that it would be before his father's death, but Malfoy had always had his doubts; he wasn't sure if Lucius would ever be ready to hand over the family name to him. He would be giving the orders until the day he died.

Obey. Conquer. Destroy.

Malfoy ripped off his shirt and turned around to assess the wounds on his back. They were beginning to heal already - he was a quick healer. He had to be, by now.

An image flashed across Malfoy's brain - Hermione's soft hands caressing his raw skin.

He was irritated with himself to find that he was craving her touch again. He was livid that the first thing he thought when he saw her in the hallway was that he wanted to grab her face and kiss her. The second thought had been to rip her to shreds. He'd resisted both of these things to save her life.

He had also noticed the way that her eyes had widened - not in fear, but almost in longing - at the sight of him. He truly was irresistible to all women. It was his gift and he had begun to hate it as his missions seemed to mostly comprise of him sleeping around and finding the way in, then cleaning up after himself. In other words: seduce and kill. It was too easy for him and he hated that more than anything.

Malfoy made himself turn away from the mirror and as he left the bathroom he headed straight for the liquor cabinet. As he poured himself his first glass for the night, but undoubtedly not the last, he smiled cynically.

This was a daily habit of his and it had been for years. No one would dare call him an alcoholic. Yet it didn't seem to affect him as much as it should. He rarely woke with a hangover. He seemed to be almost immune to it. Sometimes this was good…and sometimes he wanted nothing more than to escape.

Still smiling, Malfoy tipped his head back and began to drink until he felt no more.

--

Hermione wished she could have a drink. She seemed to have fallen into a sort of depression following Malfoy's return. She didn't care that she sounded crazy even to herself - she just wanted to get away from her own thoughts, even for a little while. The house elves had told her with some concern that they weren't allowed near alcohol under any circumstances except when serving the Malfoy's. Hermione was still trying to come up with another solution.

She went through her chores slower than usual, but with twice the concentration - anything to block out her thoughts. She didn't want to give herself any free time to feel sorry for herself. It was stupid of her to dwell on things, hoping for something better when she knew it would never come. But she still couldn't get Malfoy's face out of her head, no matter how hard she worked.

His eyes had been so cold, so distant…the blood on his hands so fresh. The image haunted her for days, and Hermione was thankful that she didn't see him around. She hoped that Pearl wouldn't be required any time soon, if ever, but she had the feeling that she wouldn't get away with avoiding the Malfoy's for much longer. It was a stroke of undeserved luck that Lucius was yet to discover, and Narcissa obviously didn't believe her to be interesting enough to tell him.

Sure enough, after ten days of solitude Hermione heard the familiar clanging of bells and looked up warily to see hers ringing - three times, of course. She made her way as slowly as possible up to the third floor and knocked timidly on the cold black door. There was no reply from within yet the doors slid open to allow her entry.

Hermione stepped in and frowned when she saw what she had feared - a crimson dress was lying across Malfoy's bed, a matching pair of black heels on the floor beneath it. She looked around for Malfoy but he was nowhere in sight. Hermione approached the bed cautiously and saw a note on top of the dress. The handwriting was dark, the parchment torn from where the quill had gone through at one point.

_You know what to do._

Hermione sighed and dropped the note back on the bed as she made her way into the bathroom. It too was empty, but Hermione shut the door firmly before stripping off and climbing into the bath. She tried to relax in the warm water but she couldn't. She was completely terrified of seeing Lucius again now that she had met the true monster beneath the brilliant façade. She was also scared to see Malfoy again - how would he behave? Would he gloat over her obvious pain since their last talk? Would he force her to listen to the horror stories about his latest mission?

Hermione shuddered as she climbed out of the bath and sat before the mirror to fix her hair. When she was done she suddenly realised that nobody except Malfoy would actually see the real her and she could go downstairs looking like garbage. Hermione sighed as she made her way back to the bedroom. At least she could look nice for herself, she reflected sadly. It sure was strange being a slave in the Malfoy household.

The dress was typically tight and uncomfortably revealing for Hermione's taste. It made her cringe to put it on - this was probably Malfoy's idea of a cruel joke, making her flaunt herself in front of him when he didn't even want to look.

As Hermione was slipping into the matching heels the doors slid open and Malfoy strolled in looking ridiculously appealing. Hermione's stomach clenched as this thought occurred to her and quickly looked away from his impassive face. Without a word, Malfoy raised his wand and pointed it at her face as Hermione closed her eyes. She frowned slightly and opened her eyes again to see that Malfoy had evidently performed the spell wordlessly as he was putting his wand back in his pocket and heading towards the doors. She followed after him silently, having nothing to say to him anyway.

Once they were outside the dining room Malfoy paused to wait for her and took her hand in his before pulling her into the warm room. Hermione tried to ignore the tingling that jolted through her body at his touch, and when she sneaked a look at Malfoy's face she was surprised to find him clenching his teeth. But then Hermione stopped thinking as she entered the dining room and saw the crowd waiting for them.

Seated around the large table were not only Malfoy's parents, but Seamus, Pansy, Nott, Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, Jack Sandford, and a few other people Hermione didn't recognise. With a shudder she saw at the very end of the table the horrible woman from the ball who had told her to stay away from the man that was currently holding her hand.

_Thanks for the warning, _she thought furiously.

'Ah, here she is!' Lucius boomed, getting to his feet. The entire table followed suit as Malfoy dragged Hermione forwards and into the empty chair at the head of the table. He sat down beside her and everyone else followed his lead, their eyes on Hermione. She smiled timidly at Narcissa, who was right down the other end of the table, and avoided Pansy's gaze as she was quite obviously wishing her death.

'Thank you all for coming,' Malfoy drawled, leaning back comfortably in his chair. His hand remained on hers and Hermione was grateful for the warmth in the room that now seemed far too chilly. She tuned out the rest of his words and tried to avoid everyone's stares, reciting a memorised passage of _Hogwarts: A History _inside her head to distract herself. When Malfoy was done everyone began eating and Hermione wanted to protest when his hand left hers. Suddenly she felt vulnerable. And she didn't have to wait long for the attack to begin.

'So, _Pearl, _still here?' the sour-faced blonde woman asked nastily. Hermione glowered at her. She couldn't remember her name, or if she had even known it in the first place.

'Yes, I am,' Hermione replied coolly, eyeing her steadily. She was determined not to let them walk all over her tonight. She had been so down lately and she desperately needed something to pick herself up; this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Maybe she could get some revenge on Malfoy finally for all that he'd put her through lately.

Somehow Jack Sandford had ended up right next to her, which Malfoy seemed very upset about. He was glaring at Jack as he ate, something that Jack seemed oblivious to as he stared at Hermione openly.

'What have you been up to?' he asked eagerly. Hermione turned to him gratefully as his words cut across the blonde who had her mouth open for more.

'Not much. I was sick recently - wasn't I, Draco?' Hermione nudged Malfoy in an attempt to break his death gaze and Malfoy started slightly at his name.

'Yes. Yes, that's right. I took care of you though, didn't I, babe?' his arm snaked around Hermione's waist possessively and Hermione had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at his obvious staking of territory. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Seamus seemed to find this exchange extremely fascinating. He was seated on Malfoy's other side, and was eyeing Hermione in a horribly familiar way. As he grinned at her Hermione felt the sudden need to get up and run away from him.

'Yes, Draco always takes care of things, doesn't he?' Seamus said innocently, yet the malicious intent in his voice was clear. Jack started slightly and quickly tore his eyes away from Hermione. Malfoy smirked at him and nodded slightly in thanks as Hermione looked at him curiously.

'What?' she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

'Sandford might just die tonight if he doesn't behave,' Malfoy whispered back. Hermione shivered and moved so that his arm fell away from her waist. Malfoy put it back more tightly and pulled her closer to his side.

'Draco,' Pansy suddenly interrupted from Seamus' other side. 'Would you like to join me in the garden after dinner?'

Hermione raised her eyebrows at the boldness of the girl before her. She was offering _her _boyfriendsex right in front of her! Not in so many words of course, but her purpose was clear. How thick could she be? Before Malfoy could reply Hermione cut him off.

She don't know what possessed her to do it - maybe it was the combination of the glaring blonde and Pansy's public dismissal of her - but she wanted to stake her claim, even if it was a fake one.

'Actually, Draco and I are busy for the rest of the night,' she said coldly. For added effect, she placed her hand obviously high on his thigh and squeezed tightly. Malfoy jumped slightly, only enough for Hermione to notice, and a grin appeared on his handsome face. Hermione didn't look, though, as she was still glaring at Pansy. As Pansy continued to glare back, Hermione turned in her seat and planted a large kiss on Malfoy's mouth. Malfoy was ready for her this time and took advantage of the situation by sticking his tongue into her mouth.

Hermione tried to ignore her jolting heart as she pulled away, feeling slightly breathless. Only those seated nearest seemed to have notice anything at all. Again Seamus was eyeing the pair of them strangely, and Hermione had an idea about what he was thinking. He was gauging Malfoy's behaviour to decide if their conversation about her had been true.

Dinner went by in a slow blur for Hermione as she politely answered all the questions that were shot at her and determinedly avoided everyone's gaze. By the time dessert was over she was feeling confident that she had made it through another death eater encounter, but as nobody made to move from the table she suddenly felt wary.

Hermione frowned; apparently, she'd forgotten that these people all liked to drink after dinner. And sure enough, a large glass of champagne appeared before her, while to her left Malfoy was already reaching for his tumbler of firewhiskey. Hermione sighed as she took a sip and tried not to grimace - she hated champagne. But she would take the opportunity to make herself feel a little better - while still being careful, of course. So she forced herself to keep drinking as the conversation again took a sour turn.

' - don't know what he sees in that _Pearl!_' Pansy's voice suddenly floated out of the babble and Hermione glared at the girl who was casting her looks of disgust.

'Oh, I can think of a thing or two,' Nott chuckled from her other side, and when Hermione met his eyes he winked at her quickly. She smiled at him vaguely as he continued to stare at her, so she quickly looked over the table to see Zabini with his gaze locked on Narcissa. She was smiling secretively at him from Lucius' side and as Hermione watched she blew him a tiny little kiss. Zabini grinned into his glass as he took a large sip of his own drink. Hermione wanted to throw something at him and scold Narcissa, but her attention was again caught by a conversation to her left.

'How was she, Draco?' Seamus was saying quietly to Malfoy, grinning wickedly at him. Hermione turned her head slightly to take in Malfoy's expression. He looked irritated, and Hermione didn't have to ask to know that Seamus was referring to Russian girl who was now dead. Her stomach instantly hardened, but she forced herself to listen.

'She was…young,' Malfoy said finally, looking reluctant. Seamus raised his eyebrows.

'Thought you liked them like that. You know - young, inexperienced, all that? Come on, tell me. What was she like?'

'That is really none of your business, Finnigan,' Malfoy said irritably.

'You've never had a problem sharing before.'

'Alright, fine. She was easy,' Malfoy finally said in defeat, glaring moodily at his glass as it magically refilled itself. Seamus grinned.

'Easy, hey?'

'Extremely. It didn't take much persuasion at all for her to take me to her room,' Malfoy frowned as he said this and suddenly looked up to see Hermione watching him. He glowered at her, unable to say anything in their company - although no one appeared to be listening, anyway. Hermione stared back at him, wondering why there was no gloating in his voice. He'd said that the girl reminded him of her. Is that why he was upset? Because she had been easy…just like she was? Hermione felt herself going red and looked away from his cold eyes.

'I guess we shouldn't be discussing this in front of your girlfriend,' Seamus said mockingly, giving Hermione his favourite stare.

'No, you're right,' Malfoy said curtly. Suddenly he stood from his seat. 'Friends, please join us outside for another drink,' he said loudly. As Malfoy reached for Hermione's hand and led her from the room the guests followed at ease, making their way into the garden and standing around the lake. Once the chatter had started up again Malfoy pulled Hermione slightly away from everyone.

'I have business to discuss with Finnigan. While I'm gone do _not_ talk to Sandford, understood?' he growled quietly into her ear. Hermione nodded and Malfoy smiled, satisfied. He turned and motioned Seamus to follow him back inside, and Hermione watched them go feeling slightly put out. Immediately, she was ambushed.

'I thought I made it clear that Draco was _mine,_' a cold voice said. Hermione turned to see the blonde bitch standing with her hands on her hips, Pansy right behind her and another woman on her other side. Hermione recognised her red hair - this was another of the nasty women from the ball.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' the blonde continued when Hermione was silent, 'I don't believe I ever introduced myself - I assume, however, that you know who I am. Olivia Zabini.'

She extended her hand as if she wanted Hermione to kiss it, but instead Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and sneered.

'And _I _assume that you're just as big a whore as your brother is,' she said slyly. Olivia spluttered indignantly as Pansy and the redhead exchanged mystified glances.

'_Excuse_ me?' Olivia said furiously. Hermione laughed.

'I _would_ excuse you, but I don't think that would get rid of you. You're rather like a leech, aren't you? Always hanging around Draco and I,' Hermione couldn't believe the words were coming from her own mouth but they felt good.

'How _dare_ you!' Olivia screeched. She leaned in closer and Hermione casually took a sip from her glass, looking bored. 'You listen here, you little witch. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough - if you do not leave Malfoy Manor and never come back, I will see to it that you are destroyed!'

Hermione yawned obviously. 'And how would you do that?'

'I…I -' Olivia spluttered, looking to Pansy and the other woman for help.

'Well?' Hermione pressed.

'My family is extremely powerful. We have ways of making you disappear. And Fern here -' Olivia indicated the redhead to her left, '- her husband could very easily dig up some dirt on you. And then Draco will throw you out to the skrewts!'

'I highly doubt that you'll find dirt on _me,_' Hermione smiled, imagining them searching for a non-existent girl.

'You think you're so _perfect!_' Pansy hissed, striding forward.

'You're no better than the rest of us,' Fern added, her eyes sliding cruelly down to Hermione's revealing dress. Hermione laughed.

'Really? Well, you see, _I'm _not married and drooling after another man,' Fern glared at her as Hermione turned to Pansy. '_I'm _not throwing myself at any guy who'll take me - repeatedly!' Pansy froze in shock and her eyes narrowed, but Hermione was already facing Olivia. 'And _I _have more dignity than to be desperate enough to sleep with Draco that I would threaten death!'

All three women stared at her open mouthed as Hermione took another sip from her glass, satisfied. Finally, Olivia found her voice again and this time her words hit home.

'You say you're not desperate…so I wonder, why does Draco barely look at you?' she said sweetly. Hermione froze, her glass halfway to her lips.

'What?'

'You heard me. He couldn't wait to get away from you just now, could he? I just hope you haven't turned him gay - he's been spending more time with Seamus than with you,' Olivia smiled as Pansy and Fern laughed nastily. Hermione glared at her.

'Oh, look,' Fern said suddenly. All four of them turned to see Seamus strolling outside looking satisfied about something. 'Seamus is back and Draco isn't. Looks like he'd rather not see you again!'

'You don't know what you're talking about,' she said quietly. And truly she didn't - she didn't know that it was all just a façade anyway, that it didn't matter if Malfoy looked at her or not. But suddenly…it _did _matter that he didn't look at her. She _wanted _him to look at her. It was just what she didn't want to hear all over again. A chant started up in her head.

_Nobody wants you. Nobody wants you. Nobody wants you._

'Shut up!' Hermione suddenly hissed, talking both to the women before her and the voice in her head. Olivia laughed coldly as Hermione turned and stormed away. She would show her. She would show all of them. And most of all, she would show herself.

Hermione marched inside and up the stairs, her pace not slowing as she reached the third floor and headed towards the office where she knew he would be. Without knocking she threw the door open and walked inside. Malfoy turned away from the window looking surprised and opened his mouth to say something as he moved forwards but Hermione was faster.

'What are y -'

Malfoy didn't have the chance to finish his sentence as Hermione pulled his face towards her and brought her lips down on his hard and furiously.

Malfoy stared at her for a moment in complete shock and then closed his eyes, dropping his glass to the floor to wrap his arms around her waist. Neither of them took any notice as it shattered, and Hermione pulled Malfoy even closer, her hands twisting in his hair. She heard him groan against her mouth and her pulse quickened. He backed her against the wall and Hermione gasped as the freezing stone touched her skin.

'Granger,' Malfoy said huskily between kissing her fiercely.

'Yes?' Hermione breathed, wondering where she found the breath to speak.

'What are you doing?' Malfoy asked throatily.

'I'm being your girlfriend,' Hermione replied, her hands running down his arms and settling on his solid biceps. The smooth fabric of his shirt contrasted to the rough skin of his jaw. But Malfoy pulled his mouth away from hers and looked down at her strangely.

'Granger, you are not my girlfriend.'

'I know that,' Hermione sniffed, refusing to budge from his arms.

'Then tell me again. What are you doing?' Malfoy said suspiciously. Hermione was panting slightly as she strained to look up at him.

'I'm giving you what you want. I'm being your slave,' she whispered, preying beyond hope that he wouldn't turn her away again. Malfoy stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.

'I don't want this. And I didn't order you to behave in this way,' he frowned as he forced her hands off him and stepped away from her. Hermione's arms fell limply to her sides and she tried to take a deep breath to steady herself. It didn't work.

'Right,' she said, her voice shaking beyond control. 'Sorry. I'll just…leave.'

And with that she ran. Malfoy sighed as he reached into his pocket for his wand.

'Reparo,' he muttered, fixing his broken glass. That had been…_strange._ He wondered if she'd had too much to drink, but she seemed okay. So what had brought on her sudden change in behaviour? And how dare she speak to him like that? Although, he hadn't exactly been strict with her lately. He would have to fix that.

A sudden knock on the door made Malfoy jump. He looked up to see Olivia lounging against the door frame, smiling seductively at him.

'Draco,' she purred, slithering into the room.

'Olivia,' Malfoy replied coolly, making to leave. But Olivia reached for his hand as he passed her and he was forced to turn and look at her.

'Not leaving, are you?' she whispered, tracing a finger across his broad chest. Malfoy looked down to follow her action and his frown deepened.

'Yes. You shouldn't be here,' he shrugged away from her and straightened his tie. Olivia smiled.

'That never stopped us before,' she said silkily, starting towards him again.

'_No, _Olivia,' Malfoy said firmly, turning away and heading for the door.

'Going to find your little wench, are you?' Olivia's voice had suddenly gone cold. Malfoy stopped dead at her words and turned to snarl at her.

'What did you say?'

'Draco, I'm sorry but it's true. Just now she was down in the garden _shamelessly _flirting with Seamus,' Olivia lied smoothly. Malfoy's eyes narrowed and something suddenly clicked into place. Why Hermione was acting so strangely…because Olivia had been tormenting her, as she was trying to do to him now. That was surely the answer.

'Watch your tongue,' he said quietly, his voice dangerous. But Olivia was unapologetic.

'Draco, I truly am sorry to have to tell you. I just want to protect you. Now, why don't you and I -'

Malfoy didn't stay to hear the rest of her lies. He flew from the room and let his feet carry him downstairs. He was at the top of the stairs that led to the kitchens when he heard a low sob from the dining room behind him.

Cautiously, he crept inside and found her sitting at the table, her head buried in her hands. As he moved forwards a floorboard creaked and Hermione suddenly looked up. Her beautiful face was shining with tears and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of him. She quickly stood and dropped her head.

'Forgive me, Master. I know I shouldn't be in here,' she whispered. Malfoy started at the painful tone of her voice, the defeat in it obvious. And she was calling him Master again…

'Was it just Olivia that spoke to you?' he demanded harshly. Hermione bit her lip and shook her head slightly. Without another word Malfoy turned and stormed his way through the house. When the cool night breeze hit his face he stopped and reached for his wand, sending a shower of red sparks up into the air with the accompanying sound of a shotgun.

'Thank you all for coming - now _go!_' he bellowed into the night sky. There was a short silence in which everyone stared at each other, and then quickly began filing past him looking fearful. As Pansy and Fern strutted by Malfoy held out his hand to grab Pansy roughly by the arm.

'Pansy, Fern, a word?' he said quietly. They flushed with pleasure and stayed as the last of the guests finished walking by. Last to go were Lucius and Narcissa, who looked at their son angrily but went to see the others off.

'Anything I can do for you, Draco?' Pansy asked, cocking her head to the side.

'Yes, actually. You - all of you, in fact - are no longer welcome here. Now get out and don't come back,' Malfoy said coldly, dropping her arm and pointing towards the door.

Pansy and Fern exchanged shocked glances and quickly left without a word. Malfoy watched them go, rage searing through him. That they would dare talk to his girlfriend at his own house, that they would make her cry…it infuriated him.

It was the principle of the matter - nobody dared to cross Draco Malfoy. He suddenly felt very possessive of his slave. She was _his,_ and his only to torment. Anybody who dared deny him that pleasure would pay.

--

It was well into the morning but Hermione was still awake. She was still trying to make sense of her evening. First - the confrontation she'd gotten herself into. Second - another rejection from Malfoy. But then, most shockingly of all, Malfoy had _defended _her and told those _whores _never to come back. What did that mean?

Despite his rejection of her Hermione had never felt so grateful towards him. Yes, she was still mad at him for making her act like a fool _again_, but... he was so obviously a lost soul. Shouldn't she encourage his good behaviour whenever she could?

An idea formed in her head and Hermione rose to tiptoe back into the kitchen...

--

When Malfoy finally left his study midway through the morning he returned to his room to find something curious waiting for him on his desk.

'What the...'

Moving closer, he saw that it was unmistakebly a... slice of birthday cake.

_Whose birthday is it? _He wondered to himself. It looked delicious. As he dipped his finger into the thick icing and a tiny blue flower caught his eye, he wondered...

He smiled ever so slightly before putting the sugary flower into his mouth. _Happy birthday, mudblood._

_--_

**What did you guys think of this chapter?? I'm feeling a little lost with this story at the moment and any feedback or ideas would greatly help :) Thanks my loves xx**


	20. The Broken

**OK, um, first of all...WOW! I can't describe how incredible it was to get so many of you giving me ideas and suggestions after my little "block" incident. WOW WOW WOW!! Thank you all soo much for your brilliant thoughts, I'm going to make sure to look back over them whenever I need inspiration. There's too many people to mention here, but you all know who you are!**

**A few people were confused about why Draco knew Hermione had sent him the birthday cake...and it's just as simple as this. He guessed. And I always think of blue as Hermione's colour, since she wore it to the Yule Ball. Also, another question...Lavender is alive as far as Hermione knows. In the chapter with the flashback, she was being tortured but not killed.**

**The MOST common suggestion I got was - to put it plainly - to hurry the *^% up and get them into bed!! Now I can assure you all that the on and off thing is DEAD. Yay!**

**I have to say I was a little sad that the number of reviews was low for the last chapter, even though the ones I got were the best ones ever! Maybe the chapter was too long? Anyway, please please please keep reviewing - I want to get past 500. That would be AMAZING!!**

**Ok, I've talked enough now...enjoy :)**

**--**

'Draco, _are you listening to me?_'

Lucius thumped his fist down on the table.

'What?' Malfoy started, looking around at his father in irritation.

'God dammit, listen to me when I'm talking to you!' Lucius roared. He brought his fist down on the table again and Narcissa shrieked as her goblet of orange juice fell into her lap.

'What is it?' Malfoy asked, pushing his own goblet a safe distance away.

'The Dark Lord has asked for our help again,' Lucius said proudly, straightening the front of his robes. Malfoy sighed heavily.

'What this time? A twelve year old?' he asked sarcastically. Lucius chuckled quietly.

'Actually, Draco, this isn't _your_ usual type of mission.'

'Oh?' Malfoy raised his eyebrows and dropped the piece of toast he'd been holding. Suddenly he'd lost his appetite. 'What is it this time? Men? Because I _won't _do that.'

'Draco, really! Don't be so crude!' Narcissa reprimanded her son before quickly glancing at Lucius. 'That's _not _it, is it?'

'No, dear. This time…it's dementors.'

There was a short silence as both Malfoy and Narcissa digested this.

'What the hell,' Malfoy began angrily, 'are we meant to do with fucking dementors?'

'Calm yourself, Draco,' Lucius said coolly. 'It seems that a large infestation of them have stopped listening to the Dark Lord's commands, and the Dark Lord wants somebody to regain their control.'

'And why do we have to be the ones? McNair would specialise in that area, not us,' Malfoy said furiously, thumping his own fist down on the table. Lucius watched him for a moment and smiled.

'I volunteered us, of course.'

'You - what? _Why?_' Malfoy bellowed, rising to his feet. Lucius sighed patiently and raised an eyebrow at his son.

'Sit _down_, Draco! I volunteered us to get us in even higher favour with the Dark Lord.'

'In case you hadn't noticed we're already pretty fucking high up there!' Malfoy huffed, reluctantly sliding back into his seat but crossing his arms over his chest.

'Yes,' Lucius purred, amused by Malfoy's reaction. 'But it never hurts to reassert our power. I noticed that you didn't seem very happy at our dinner party the other night.'

'That was nothing,' Malfoy said coldly. 'Those whores are just jealous over Pearl.'

'Ah, funny you should mention Pearl,' Lucius smiled, but there was no warmth to his features. Malfoy felt his stomach shift.

'What's she got to do with this?'

'You might recall, Draco, that Pearl's father was a trainer for dangerous beasts. And his specialty -'

'Was dementors,' Malfoy finished, comprehension dawning of him. Groaning, he slid further down in his seat and covered his face with one large hand.

'And you want Pearl to tell you everything she can about them?' he surmised.

'Yes. Surely her father would have taught her some things before he died.'

'I don't think he did,' Malfoy lied, cursing Hermione for picking such a perfect profession for her fake father.

'You don't know that, Draco. So, I will need to speak to Pearl as soon as possible. Invite her over for dinner tonight and we will question her together. We must find out everything that could help us, for if we fail on this the Dark Lord will not be happy with us.'

'Fine,' Malfoy conceded, rising to his feet and storming from the table. Just as he was at the door Lucius spoke again.

'And, Draco,' he called sweetly. 'I have not informed the Dark Lord of Pearl's part in this yet. I am still deciding whether I will or not, so you had better make sure that she knows what she's talking about. Good day.'

And with that Malfoy was dismissed. He raged his way through the house, furious at his father's threat, and found himself halfway down the stairs to the kitchen before he even realised where he was.

'Granger!' he bellowed, kicking open the door and stamping into the cavernous room.

Hermione was washing dishes at the sink when the door flew open and she turned in surprise and fear to find Malfoy towering over her, his face livid.

'What did I do?' she squeaked, terrified by his expression. For several moments Malfoy just breathed, trying to calm himself down before talking.

'Not you,' he said through gritted teeth. '_Pearl._'

'What…what about her?' Hermione stammered, clutching the soapy pot in her hands across her chest protectively.

'My father needs her help,' Malfoy said slowly, trying to suppress his rage from the frightened girl before him. 'It seems that your blasted lies have got you in hot water.'

'Wh - what?' Hermione said, startled by this turn of events. 'Your father…_my _help?'

'No, _Pearl's _help. Help that, in fact, neither of you can provide. And that's going to you both of our necks!' Malfoy yelled, losing his hold over his usually in check emotions. 'Your fucking father is going to get me killed!'

'My father?!' Hermione cried, completely bewildered.

'The _dementor trainer!_' Malfoy said sarcastically, looking daggers at her.

'The - oh!' Hermione finally understood what he could be talking about. 'Is there a problem with the dementors?' she asked meekly, afraid for the answer. She could almost feel their overwhelming presence in the room, feeding off her vast amounts of fear.

'Yes, there is. And my father volunteered us for the mission, thinking that Pearl could feed us all the information we need to get them under our control - something that, by the way, has only ever been done by the Dark Lord. So _thank you _very much for that!'

Malfoy began pacing up and down the kitchen as house elves scattered out of his way. Hermione let her eyes follow him around in circles as she let this sink in, and slowly she smiled.

'Um…Malfoy?'

Malfoy kept walking and raised his chin to glower at her.

'What?' he spat. Hermione flinched at his tone but her smile stayed in place.

'You seem to be forgetting who I am,' she pointed to herself with her free hand.

'You're a bloody useless mudblood, that's what you are!' Malfoy yelled in frustration, kicking the leg of a nearby table. Hermione shook her head, still smiling.

'That's where you're wrong. I'm Hermione Granger,' she said calmly. Malfoy stopped pacing and stared at her, comprehension slowly dawning on his face.

'Of course,' he breathed. 'Hermione Granger, the -'

'- Smartest witch of our age,' Hermione finished for him, feeling a warm glow of pride shoot through her. It was something she hadn't had cause to feel in a very long time.

'Of course,' Malfoy said slowly, moving to stand in front of her again. 'How could I forget?'

'Indeed,' Hermione said quietly, turning to put the pot back into the sink. 'So - what do you need to know?' she asked, turning to face Malfoy again.

'Everything,' Malfoy replied eagerly. His expression was completely different from how it had been moments ago as it lit up with sudden hope.

'That may take a while,' Hermione commented, looking around for a seat. But to her surprise Malfoy grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her towards the door.

'You're coming with me, then. You will tell me _everything _you can, and then later you will do it again for my father.'

'Okay,' Hermione said nervously, letting him pull her up the stairs. As they reached the top Malfoy let go of her and raised a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet. He opened the door and peered around to make sure it was deserted, before motioning her to follow him.

She hurried upstairs after him and didn't make a sound until they were safely in his room. Malfoy went straight to his desk and sat down, pulling a long roll of parchment towards him.

'Sit,' he commanded, not looking at her. Hermione looked around, wondering where she was meant to sit when Malfoy pulled out his wand and waved it lazily. A large black chair appeared out of the air and fell heavily to the floor, across from his own. Hesitated, Hermione edged forwards and sat down, jumping when her foot touched his under the table.

Malfoy didn't pay any attention to her and she quickly crossed her feet together as far back under her chair as she could and waited for him to start talking.

'Right. Go,' Malfoy said expectantly, looking up at her with her quill raised, ready to write down everything she said. Hermione took a deep breath.

'Well…' she began.

Over the next several hours Malfoy was bombarded with more information than he ever could have imagined existed for one single creature. Hermione didn't seem to stop once for breath and she just kept going and going, with all kinds of facts and tips pouring out of her mouth.

After almost four hours Malfoy's wrist was cramping painfully and he was beginning to tune out her voice, believing that he had enough to take on the dementors without his father's help. As Hermione continued to fetter on, not noticing that his quill had stopped, Malfoy simply stared at her.

He hadn't seen her face look like that since Hogwarts, where she had always been teaching others about some useless thing or another. Her features were glowing as if the sun was shining straight down onto her face, and her eyes were alive, the warm, flickering pools of toffee portraying just how wise she really was. Her lips were not still, the soft corners pulled up in a genuine smile. Malfoy couldn't help staring at them, though he wasn't listening to a word she said.

He watched her lips for hours, not a single other thought entering his mind but for the perfect way they moved. It wasn't until much later when Hermione coughed and waved a hand in front of his face that he realised she had finally stopped talking.

'Oh, right,' he said, coming out of his trance. 'Okay. Yes. Well. Go and get into the bath and get ready to do this all again.'

Hermione looked at him slightly oddly as she did as he said. Malfoy didn't move from his seat, now staring at the wall before him instead and hoping that she had said all of the most important things at the beginning.

--

At precisely eight o'clock Malfoy entered the dining room with Pearl on his arm. As dinner approached he had begun to feel edgy again, not sure if his father would be satisfied with what Pearl could tell him. Hermione too was feeling nervous - she hadn't been given so much attention for years. Now it was as if she was being handed the microphone in front of the whole world…she hoped she could tell Lucius what he wanted to know.

'Ah, Pearl, good evening,' Lucius said pleasantly, patting the chair next to him. She took the hint and went to sit beside him as Malfoy took the seat across from her, next to his mother.

'Good evening Lucius, Narcissa,' Hermione said politely, smiling at the woman over the table. Narcissa looked truly happy to see her, and again Hermione was puzzled by the woman. How could she be so cruel to Hermione, yet seem to kind to Pearl?

'Hello, dear. It's so nice to see you again,' Narcissa said, patting Malfoy's arm fondly. He looked sideways at her in annoyance but said nothing, too busy awaiting for his father's questioning to begin.

'It's nice to be here again. You…you have such a lovely home,' Hermione commented, suddenly feeling the urge to keep up the small talk and prolong the real conversation.

'It's been in the family for centuries. There's priceless heirlooms in every corner,' Narcissa laughed a high-pitched trill and touched the necklace at her neck. It was dangling with egg-sized emeralds.

'Oh, is that your mother's?' Hermione asked quickly, glad that Narcissa had given her such a good opening to talk about something other than dementors.

'Lucius gave it to me, actually. It was _his _great-grandmother's,' Narcissa smiled at her husband who smiled back tightly.

'It matched your eyes perfectly,' he said, causing Narcissa to laugh delicately at some distant memory. Hermione watched them curiously. It was so strange to see these heartless creatures show sign of affection.

The moment was quickly over as Lucius suddenly snapped his fingers together and immediately their plates were filled with delicious-looking food.

'I'd like to make a toast,' Lucius announced, raising his goblet. The others quickly followed suit. 'To Draco and Pearl. Pearl, you are already very much valued in this family.'

Hermione smiled meekly as they touched goblets and drank deeply. Lucius was definitely a man who knew how to get what he wanted. He was buttering her up before dragging the information out of her. Like Hermione could ever think of him as kind after what had happened last time he'd invited her over for dinner.

She shivered and looked away from the horrid man sitting next to her. Instead, her eyes met Malfoy's over his goblet and for a moment she was shocked by the intensity she saw there. He seemed to be smirking, probably at his father's attempts to charm her, and Hermione rolled her eyes at him quickly.

He snorted and nodded subtly in agreement. Neither Lucius or Narcissa seemed to notice though as they began to eat. Hermione followed suit, but she was barely through her first mouthful when Lucius coughed.

'I don't know if Draco told you, Pearl, but he and I are to leave for a very important little _trip _soon.'

Hermione looked to Malfoy for guidance and he nodded very discreetly at her without looking up from his food.

'Yes, he did mention something,' Hermione confirmed, keeping her eyes on Malfoy and away from the man whose eyes were surely boring into her at that very moment.

'Did he mention also that you could possibly be of some use to us?' Lucius pressed on, his tone hopeful but deadly at the same time. Hermione wondered for a moment who would be stupid enough to refuse such a person before answering promptly.

'He did. And I am more than happy to help you, of course,' she smiled, turning her head quickly to look at him before turning back to her food. Lucius glanced at his son in approval and then to his wife, who shot him a warning glance.

_Don't be too hard on her, _she mouthed at her husband. Lucius huffed at her before turning back to Hermione.

'That is most appreciated, my dear,' he said truthfully. Hermione suppressed a shiver at the endearment and smiled back at him. 'You will, of course, be rewarded for your help.'

'That's not necessary,' Hermione said in alarm, while her mind quickly raced around trying to think of what kind of reward he had in mind.

'Nonsense. Draco will take care of that, though.'

'Of course,' Malfoy muttered quietly. Lucius glared at him.

'Anyway,' he went on, looking again to Hermione. 'If you would kindly tell us everything you can - assuming that your father _did _teach you a few things - about dementors?'

'I most certainly can,' Hermione affirmed, feeling nervous. 'Draco knows quite a bit himself, actually,' she added. Malfoy looked at her chillingly.

'Really, Draco?' Lucius raised an eyebrow at his son. 'Perhaps you can start, then.'

Malfoy took a deep breath as he tried to remember his notes.

'First of all, and most obviously, we will need to use the Patronus Charm. What we can do, though -' he glanced at Hermione to make sure he was right. She nodded encouragingly for him to continue. '- instead of casting the Charm whilst thinking of a happy memory, we can think really hard about the Dark Lord. We will still get a Patronus, but it will be made of something much more frightening to the dementors. They won't actually be scared, of course, but they will sense the Dark Lord's presence and be much more likely to obey us.'

'Good,' Lucius nodded. 'What else?'

'Pearl?' Malfoy said quickly, unable to think of something else off the top of his head. Hermione quickly swallowed her mouthful of food and stepped up to the microphone.

'What Draco said is correct. Now, I would recommend that you cast your Patronuses before you reach the dementors, as there will probably be a lot of them and that will make it harder. If the - the Dark Lord has lost control of them they will most likely have been feeding wildly and freely since then, so they will be strong and on the lookout for emotions. So, if you can, be as calm as you can and it will be harder for them to sense you.'

'Sounds simple enough. Anything else?' Lucius prompted her, looking supremely interested in what she was saying. Feeling uncomfortable in the spotlight, Hermione went on to tell him everything she could think of.

--

'Well, that went better than I thought it would,' Malfoy commented after dinner as the two of them were walking back to his room.

'Do you think I gave him enough?' Hermione asked anxiously. She couldn't help feeling that if something went wrong, Lucius would be after her blood. Malfoy chuckled.

'_More _than enough. He was trying to get you to shut up for about half an hour, I think.'

'Oh,' Hermione felt herself going red. 'You should have said something!'

'No way,' Malfoy smirked. 'It was too much fun.'

They stopped outside the door to his room and Malfoy paused, frowning slightly.

'Hmm…I was supposed to reward you now for your help…'

Hermione felt her stomach tighten.

'What - what do you mean?' she said stiffly, not sure if she was misunderstanding his meaning. Malfoy glanced at her and grinned maliciously.

'Come,' he said, turning and leading her back down the corridor. She followed him in relief, glad he didn't take her to his bedroom. Instead he pulled out hi wand and tapped it smartly on the handle of a door down the hall that she had never seen before and led her inside.

Torches around the walls flickered to life and Hermione gasped.

'Merlin…' she whispered, looking around in amazement.

Every inch of floor space seemed to be taken up by hundreds of human-like stone sculptures, stretching down the long room and out of sight. Some were busts, some heads, some even hands. The walls were plastered with priceless looking paintings, whose subjects looked on in interest as Hermione walked down the narrow aisle.

'Take your pick,' Malfoy said calmly, leaning against the door and smirking slightly. It was only then that Hermione realised that every one of the sculptures was holding some sort of jewel. A head near her was supporting a stunning silver crown with large garnets shining out of it. Next to that was a set of hands, all kinds of sapphire rings glinting from the long, marble fingers. And turning, Hermione saw a stone bust with a necklace that was similar to the one Narcissa had worn at dinner.

Hermione turned to Malfoy in amazement.

'Is this a joke?'

'Nope,' he crossed his arms over his chest. 'Take one.'

'But…but surely you can't just give these away?'

'Yes, I can. This is my own private store.'

Hermione gaped at him.

'This is all _yours? Just yours?_'

Malfoy didn't answer, simply staring at her. Turning back to the room, Hermione kept walking. She wanted to take in everything. Malfoy followed slowly after her, stopping occasionally to admire one of his collection.

At long last Hermione reached the end of the room and noticed a door against the wall.

'What's in there?' she asked curiously. 'More jewels?'

'No. Something much better,' Malfoy took a breath and let out a low whistle from between his lips. Hermione jumped as the door before her suddenly flew open and then gasped again as she saw its contents.

It was a banker's dream. Golden galleons were piled neatly to the ceiling, taking up every inch of space in what was obviously the most well-stocked vault in England.

'Oh my…' Hermione whispered. She didn't know how to react to so much money. She never would have dreamed that Malfoy was _this _rich. He had to be the wealthiest wizard in…in the world!

'This is just yours?' she asked, looking at him in wonder. He nodded smugly and clicked his fingers. The door shut again and he turned to her.

'This is just my home vault. There's several more, but you can't see them.'

'There's more?' Hermione said faintly. She followed Malfoy back down the aisle until he paused midway down.

'We're not talking about money now,' he said calmly. 'Have you chosen something?'

'This is…you don't have to do this. This is too much.'

Hermione looked at the surrounding jewels wistfully. They were gorgeous. But what the hell would she do with a priceless treasure?

'My father instructed me to do this. He will be offended if you don't take something and wear it the next time you see him.'

'I don't need jewels,' Hermione insisted, shaking her head. Malfoy sighed.

'Fine, I will pick something for you. Now…' he turned to stroll further through the room, looking at the jewels as he passed.

'Not a ring, my mother with think I proposed.' Hermione made a face of disgust at the idea but Malfoy didn't notice as he went on. 'Not a crown either, that's going a little far. I think a necklace will just have to do.'

'Oh, yes, because a necklace just isn't good enough,' Hermione said sarcastically. Malfoy ignored her as he suddenly came to a stop.

'Ah…this is perfect.'

He turned and Hermione saw the necklace he was holding up. It was several intricately woven gold chains. They twisted together elegantly and came together with the largest stone Hermione had ever seen. It shone the colour of the most brilliant autumn day, tones of amber, gold and warm brown all twinkling up at her.

'It matches your eyes,' Malfoy said, smiling in a slightly twisted way. Hermione reached out longingly to touch it.

'It's…' she couldn't think of a single word that was good enough to describe it.

'I know,' Malfoy said, holding it out to her. But Hermione couldn't do it.

'I can't accept,' she said wistfully, retracting her hand. Malfoy was having none of it, however.

'You will accept or I'll force it on you. Think of it as a gift from my father, not me.'

'But it's yours,' Hermione reminded him, her eyes still transfixed on the jewel. Malfoy sighed impatiently.

'Turn around,' he commanded, holding her roughly by the arm and twisting her on the spot. Before Hermione could say or do anything he was fastening it around her neck. And then she found that she couldn't protest anymore because she never wanted to take the beautiful thing off.

She was suddenly very aware that Malfoy's hands were against her skin. She could feel his warm breath gently tickling her back. Completely oblivious to the effect his close proximity was having on her, Malfoy put the necklace into place and promptly turned around to leave. Hermione followed slowly after him, trying to recompose her suddenly flustered face.

'Well…thank you,' she said as they left the room and Malfoy sealed the door behind them with his wand. Malfoy grunted in reply as they entered his bedroom.

'My father and I need to talk now. You can leave the clothes on the bed and take the necklace with you, but you shouldn't wear it again unless I tell you to,' he instructed, already taking a seat at his desk and reaching to pour himself a drink.

Hermione nodded silently and went to the bathroom to change. When she came back out Malfoy was already pouring himself a second glass. He paid her no attention as she laid the dress carefully on the bed and placed the shoes on the floor. Slowly she made her way over to the door stepped out into the hall. Just as the doors closed behind her she took one last look back at Malfoy.

And was surprised to see him looking back.

--

Hermione had stored the necklace inside her pillowcase, which she took off her bed and hid carefully beneath the mattress. The next day she couldn't help but to keep returning to her room to look at it again and again. It was the most magnificent thing she had ever laid eyes on, and she in no way deserved it. But now it was partly hers, and she never wanted to let it go.

It wasn't until that night when she was sitting around, glancing much too often up at her bells on the wall, that a Flopsy came to inform her that Master Malfoy wouldn't be calling her tonight.

'Is he doing something?' she asked, feigning disinterest. For some inexplicable reason she wanted to see his face again.

'Master left just after dinner with his father. We is not sure how many days they is gone for,' Flopsy said in his squeaky voice.

'Oh,' Hermione's face fell ever so slightly. So they had already left to face the dementors. Hermione felt a trickle of fear squirm its way down her spine. Why did she suddenly feel so anxious? Was it possible that she was worried for Malfoy?

She snorted to herself and Flopsy looked at her curiously. Shaking herself, Hermione stood up. She was _worrying _over Malfoy. That was certainly new.

--

As much as she tried, over the next few days Hermione couldn't help but find herself drawn to the kitchen, staring up at the wall in anticipation.

Why wasn't he back yet? Had the dementors proved too much for him? Had they…had they performed the kiss on him and Lucius?

Not that Lucius was any loss in Hermione's eyes. She couldn't imagine him falling prey to the dementors. What kind of unhappy memory could _he_ ever have?

On the third day of their absence Hermione was sitting on her bed, admiring her necklace, when to her astonishment an owl flew into the room and held out its leg to her. _She had a letter._

'For me?' she asked the owl in astonishment. It hooted softly, waiting patiently for her to take the letter from him. As Hermione peered closer she saw the name on the envelope and understood.

_Pearl Shadows._

She untied the letter and gave the owl a soft pat on the head but it didn't fly away. Holding her breath, Hermione ripped open the envelope and quickly looked to the bottom to see who on Earth would be writing to her.

'Narcissa?' she said to the empty room. Curiosity took her over and she scanned through the rest of the letter at lightning speed.

_To my darling Pearl,_

_As I'm sure you know Draco and Lucius are away on their latest assignment at the moment. I was hoping that you and I could have lunch tomorrow, as I am finding myself rather lonely without my boys around and I trust that you feel the same._

_Please let me know as soon as possible - you can reply on the back of this letter - and I will arrange for us to have a lovely late lunch in the grounds. I am most looking forward to having some alone time with you!_

_Sincerely,_

_Narcissa Malfoy_

Hermione stared at the parchment in surprise. Lunch, alone, with Narcissa? Her letter at least sounded friendly. And - Hermione thought with a sudden smile - she could wear her necklace!

That was good enough for her. Hurrying to the kitchen, Hermione looked around for a quill and found one on a nearby table. She turned the letter over and quickly wrote a neat reply.

_Dear Narcissa,_

_I would love to have lunch with you tomorrow. I am awaiting Draco's return as much as you surely are, and it would be lovely to see you again._

_Until tomorrow,_

_Pearl Shadows_

The owl was already waiting for her and flew off immediately when she was done tying to letter to its foot. As Hermione watched it fly carefully through the doorway and sudden horrific thought hit her.

_I have nothing to wear!_

'Flopsy!' she cried, looking around for him desperately. He appeared instantly at her elbow and she knelt down to talk to him.

'What is it, Hermione?' he asked, taking in her expression.

'Can you help me? I need something nice to wear tomorrow!'

'Of course, Hermione! I can make you a nice dress right away!' Flopsy said, looking thrilled at the prospect.'

'Thank you, thank you so much!' Hermione said, relief flooding through her. But it was short lived as another factor hit her.

'Oh no - wait! I can't see Narcissa! I need Malfoy to perform the spell on me or I'll just look like myself!' she groaned, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

'But - Hermione…' Flopsy said hesitantly. 'You don't look like you at all.'

Hermione blinked at him. 'Sorry?'

'You isn't looked like you for weeks,' Flopsy went on. 'We didn't like to asks, but since the ball you is looked completely different.'

'I…I do?' Hermione asked in surprise. He nodded and Hermione laughed in relief. Malfoy didn't know but it seemed that once his spell had been cast once it didn't need to be cast again. Of course he wouldn't know that, since she always looked like Hermione to him.

'Thank Merlin!' Hermione cried happily.

--

The next afternoon Hermione waited silently at the top of the stairs until she was sure nobody was around. Then she stepped out into the hall and waited for Flopsy, who led her through the house and into the garden.

'My Lady, Miss Shadows is here,' he announced, bowing low to Narcissa.

'Good afternoon, Narcissa,' Hermione smiled and moved forwards to take the hand that Narcissa held out to her.

'My dear Pearl, I'm so happy you could make it!' she cried, grabbing Hermione into a tight hug. Flopsy quickly slipped away and Hermione took a seat opposite her hostess. She was wearing a simple white dress and, of course, her new necklace. Narcissa's eye was drawn to it straight away.

'Oh, Pearl, did Draco give you that? It's stunning on you!' she cooed, leaning forwards to take a closer look.

'Thank you. Yes, he gave it to me. It's amazing,' Hermione said earnestly, ducking her head.

'It suits you,' Narcissa said kindly. 'Tea? Scone?' she asked, pointing to the food on the table between them.

'Thank you,' Hermione said gratefully as she reached for a scone. She found that she wasn't uncomfortable at all, and that while she was Pearl she actually enjoyed talking to this woman.

'How are you?' she asked, noticing dark circles under Narcissa's eyes.

'Oh, the usual,' she waved dismissively. 'Not sleeping much. But that's how it is every time they go away. I was hoping they would be back by now.'

'So was I,' Hermione said honestly. 'Why do you think it's taking them so long?'

'Well, they weren't sure of the exact location of the dementors. They keep moving, you see. So they could just be looking for them.'

Hermione found this information strangely comforting.

'Does it bother you? When they go away?' she asked curiously. She truly wanted to know what it was like to be Narcissa Malfoy.

'It used to,' she smiled sadly. 'But there isn't much that I haven't seen in this house. And there isn't much that they can do _out _of this house that could be worse.'

She laughed and Hermione joined in quickly.

'Honestly, Pearl,' Narcissa went on, leaning in closer. 'I'm just glad that they're out there and the Dark Lord isn't here.'

Hermione nodded, the notion making her feel suddenly very sick.

'I see what you mean.'

'Yes. Well, hopefully they will be back before we know it. Wouldn't it be nice if they returned right now?'

Both women turned their heads to the doorway expectantly. It stayed empty, however, and Narcissa sighed.

'We can wish, can't we? Anyway, enough depressing talk. How are you and Draco going?'

The next few hours were spent pleasantly as Hermione and Narcissa chatted about the Malfoy men and about the beauty of the manor. When Pearl finally took her leave Narcissa gave her another hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

'Do come over again as soon as you can,' she smiled, and Hermione smiled back.

'I will,' she promised. Thankfully, Narcissa stayed in the garden so Hermione easily snuck back down to the kitchens and got changed back into her slave clothes.

_Just another day as a slave at the Malfoy's, _she thought humorously as she went to find Flopsy and thank him for his help.

--

As Hermione got into bed later that night she reached beneath the mattress to take one look at her necklace, the only item she owned. But as her fingers closed over the empty pillowcase she gasped.

_It's gone!_

She jumped out of bed and searched the floor, though she knew it wouldn't be there.

'I must have dropped it at lunch today,' she muttered to herself. Just to make sure, she went out into the kitchen and crawled around every inch of floor. When she came up with nothing, Hermione knew that she would have to go and look outside.

As quietly as possible, she crept up the stairs and through the hall. She made it through the house without incident and gently pushed the backdoor open. For a moment her attention was caught by a low full moon, hanging delicately over the garden and illuminating the way for her.

Hermione walked towards the lake where she and Narcissa had sat earlier that day. As she freed herself of the shrubs and moved out into the open Hermione froze.

A single silhouette was clearly visible by the water's edge. By the wide shoulders and solid stance Hermione knew instantly who it was. Her necklace forgotten, she crept forwards carefully.

'Malfoy?' she called when she was standing several metres away from him. He didn't turn or move at all, so she moved closer and stood beside him, looking up at his face.

What she saw there was more chilling than the dark water before her, and more shocking than the beauty of the moon above her. Malfoy's face was blank and hollow, his eyes wide and staring. His skin was white, his jaw slack.

'Malfoy?' Hermione said uncertainly. He made no reaction to her. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his arm gently.

Very slowly, Malfoy looked around at her and blinked.

'Malfoy, are you alright?' Hermione said nervously. His eyes stayed blank and there was a long, dead silence.

'Granger?' he said at long last, sounding truly confused.

'Yes, it's me,' Hermione confirmed, feeling more nervous than ever by his lost tone. 'Are you alright?'

Malfoy didn't answer, but simply turned back to the water and continued to stare. His mouth was open in what looked like a silent scream. His eyes still didn't change.

Hermione looked back to the house and saw no one. She was completely alone with a catatonic Malfoy. Very gently, she took her hand from his arm and carefully took his hand instead. It was freezing cold and stiff, and his fingers made no move to fasten around hers.

'Come on, come with me,' Hermione urged him gently, trying to pull him away from the lake.

'Come on, move,' she said a little more desperately as he didn't react. 'Let's put you to bed.'

Tugging with both hands, Hermione finally managed to make him move. Slower than she would have thought possible for such a large frame, Malfoy turned and let her lead him away. His face didn't turn to her - it stayed straight ahead, staring and shocking.

'That's right, this way,' Hermione encouraged him, still holding his hand delicately as she led him inside. She didn't have to worry about being quiet - Malfoy was as silent as the house itself. Glancing back at him often, Hermione led him upstairs and down the hall to his bedroom door.

Mercifully it opened on their approach and she was able to pull him into the room. The doors slid shut behind them but Hermione barely noticed as she was leading Malfoy to his bed. She dropped his hand and waited for him to lie down, but he stayed still.

Glancing up at his face, she saw that he was still staring blankly at nothing.

'Mal - Malfoy?' she said. When he didn't answer, she waved a hand in front of his face. At a snail's pace his face turned towards her and again she was assaulted by those empty eyes.

'Granger?' he said again. Even his voice was hollow. 'Is that you?'

'Yes,' Hermione felt more anxious than ever. Hadn't he seen her already?

'You need to lie down now,' she told him, pushing him gently on the shoulders. Obediently Malfoy sat down on the edge of his bed and again turned to a statue. Sighing, Hermione bent down and undid his shoes, pulling his socks off as well.

'You're freezing!' she gasped, feeling his toes. 'Quickly, get under the covers.'

She stood and pulled the covers back. Looking at Malfoy's face hopelessly she gently unfastened his cloak and dropped it on the floor. Looking down at him, Hermione noticed his belt and quickly took that off as well. His pants wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in but she wasn't willing to take them off. His shirt, however, was far too flimsy and he needed to be warmed up.

Looking around, Hermione noticed a door that was barely visible against the black walls. She went over to it and pulled it open, breathing a sigh of relief to see that it was full of clothes. She found a drawer and pulled out a comfortable looking white singlet. Looking beneath it, she also found a woollen jumper. She picked both items up and returned to the bed.

Malfoy hadn't moved, so reluctantly Hermione undid the buttons of his shirt and attempted to pull it off. Malfoy moved when she moved him, otherwise staying still. Hermione tried to keep her eyes away from his bare chest, thankful at least that he wouldn't notice her suddenly ragged breath. Quickly, Hermione pulled the singlet over his head and helped his arms into it. She followed with the jumper, and after several long minutes of struggle it was on.

As she knelt down to pick up his clothes a hand suddenly enclosed her wrist. Hermione dropped the clothes as Malfoy's grip tightened painfully.

'Malfoy, calm down, it's just me!' she gasped, attempting to loosen his iron grip.

'Granger,' Malfoy said hoarsely, seeming suddenly to awake from his trance. His eyes looked around the room wildly, out of focus and crazed.

'It's okay, Malfoy, we're alone,' Hermione said soothingly. Malfoy calmed slightly and his grip lessened on her wrist. His breathing was rapid and uneven.

'They're gone?' he asked, looking at her for an answer.

'Yes,' she said quickly, not having the slightest clue who he was talking about.

'Malfoy, you need to lie down,' she told him again, pushing on him gently. He looked down at himself and seemed surprised to find that he was wearing different clothes. Without seeming to give a second thought to the fact that Hermione was there he undid his pants and slowly pried them off. Hermione would have looked away but she saw his hands shaking and took pity on him.

'Here,' she said softly, taking away his hands. She pulled them the rest of the way down and threw them on the floor. She was relieved to see that he was wearing boxers beneath.

'Lie down now,' she instructed him. Malfoy did as he was told and lay back into his pillow. Hermione tucked the blankets around him quickly and stood up straight. She felt awkward and unsure of what to do, so she turned to leave him alone.

'Don't leave,' Malfoy's strangled whispered reached her ears softly. She turned back to him to see that he was sitting up, staring at her in panic.

'Don't leave me alone,' he whispered. Her eyes wide with surprise, Hermione nodded and went back to him. Hesitating, she sat down beside him and patted his freezing hand anxiously. Slowly, Malfoy sank back down onto the bed and his fingers gripped hers tightly.

'Malfoy, what happened to you?' Hermione couldn't hold the question in any longer. For a long time he was silent before he slowly opened his mouth.

'They were…they were everywhere,' he choked out, his eyes staring far away into the distance.

'The dementors?' Hermione whispered urgently, desperate to know more.

'Yes,' Malfoy nodded. 'Everywhere.'

'Did they attack you?' Hermione asked, hardly daring to breathe.

'They…they…' Malfoy was unable to go on. Hermione leant closer and squeezed his hand tightly in her own.

'Did you fail?' she asked fearfully. If he had failed, they were both in trouble. But finally, Malfoy shook his head.

'No. We got them.'

'Then…why are you -'

'I could hear things,' Malfoy interrupted, hardly seeming aware that he was even talking to her. Hermione stared at him and instantly she knew what he was talking about.

Dementors caused you to relive your worst memories. What had Draco Malfoy seen?

Hermione imagined all the things that the ruined man before her could have seen and shuddered.

'What did you hear?' she asked him gently.

'I saw things, too,' he said, ignoring her.

'Malfoy,' Hermione said, sounding slightly frustrated. 'What did you _see?_'

'I saw…' his head turned to look at her and his eyes locked on her face. 'You.'

Hermione blinked at him, stunned.

'You saw _me?_'

'You were…you were…' Malfoy shivered slightly and his eyes turned out of focus, sliding off her face.

'I was what? _What, _Malfoy?' Hermione prompted, shaking him slightly. Malfoy didn't answer her.

'It was me,' he whispered. Hermione looked at him, dying of curiosity. 'It was me.'

'What was you?' she whispered, her heart stopping in her chest.

'I was the one that was hurting you,' Malfoy said, his eyes returning to hers. 'Hurting you was my worst memory.'

Hermione stared. She didn't know what to say.

'I saw…I saw myself…turning you away…I saw your face…your pain…I felt how alone you were…I've never felt that before…so alone…so alone…'

'Shh,' Hermione whispered, putting a finger over his mouth to calm him. She herself was shaken but she tried to put it aside. Malfoy shook his head, wanting to go on.

'How can you…how do you live? With so much pain? Nothing. You have nothing. And I do that to you. I do that.'

'It's okay,' Hermione soothed him, but Malfoy moaned and shut his eyes.

'No. It's…I've never felt so hopeless. I couldn't…I couldn't…'

'You should go to sleep,' Hermione murmured, trying to take her hand away from his. She needed to leave and digest what he was saying. But Malfoy wouldn't let her go.

'I'm sorry, Granger,' he whispered. It was barely audible but Hermione heard it like a roar through her ears.

Had he…had he just…had he just said -

'I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…I'm so so…'

He let go of her hand and hugged himself tightly, rocking backwards and forwards in a manner that made Hermione's insides cry out in pain at the wreckage before her. As he chanted the words over and over again like a dying man with no other last wish, Hermione shushed him.

'Shh,' she said again, unable to think of anything else to say. She pressed her fingers lightly to his lips to quieten him and Malfoy fell silent. His eyes squeezed tightly shut and as Hermione watched him helplessly a single tear escape from his steely fortress, trickling down his cheek like a lone droplet of rain in a drought.

'Stay with me,' Malfoy pleaded weakly. Hermione raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded quickly.

'Of course I'll stay,' she told him. She had never seen somebody in need of another human being's company - and after all she'd seen, that was saying something.

She made to stand up so that she could lie down beside his bed but Malfoy had already pulled back his blankets and was looking at her desperately. She hesitated before slipping off her shoes and sliding in beside him, reaching over to turn off the light by his bed. The room went completely black, but Malfoy didn't seem to panic now. She stayed as far on the edge as she could, but when her leg accidentally brushed against his and she felt how cold he was she slid closer.

'Merlin you're shaking!' she breathed, pressing her body against his chest. Malfoy's arms instantly wrapped around her and pulled her close, and Hermione froze in shock.

She was too stunned to move, and very gradually Malfoy's convulsions died down to meek, occasional shivers. She felt rather than heard him drift into sleep.

Hermione stayed silent and motionless, but for her one free arm. Slowly, she reached up and placed it over his heart. She had just wanted to check that it was beating regularly…but as his slow, rhythmic beat reached her fingers and shot down her arm, she didn't want to move.

Much, much later, still with the warm sound of his heartbeat thumping through her head, Hermione fell asleep in his arms.

--

**Big change coming...you can just feel it now! I love this Draco, maybe more than my one from _It's Just Me_ now. What did you all think?? Go on, share!! Lots of love xxxx**


	21. The White Flag Wavers

**Hellooo all my favourite readers, sorry for the long wait. This chapter was very important and I wanted to get it just right. And can I also just say that um, WOW!!! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, that meant so so much to me to get so much feedback for the last chapter!! It's also really nice to see people who've never reviewed before reviewing MY story, that makes me feel so special.. ****Special thanks to "a fan" and seriana14 just to name 2 of my brilliant reviewers, sorry I didn't have time to reply personally to many of you this time but don't worry, I'm rereading everything you said and taking it on board.**

**A lot of people are wondering how on Earth Hermione has been pottering around looking like Pearl without the Malfoy's noticing. Well, if you go back you'll see that neither Lucius or Narcissa have actually ran into Hermione recently, and of course Draco wouldn't have been able to tell. There's more about that in this chapter though...and no, it wasn't just a convenient "Hmm I think I want Hermione to have lunch with Narcissa only Draco's away oh well I'll just make something up" thing ;) All in good time!**

**Now this is a very special chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it!**

**--**

When Hermione's eyes fluttered open in the morning the first thing she noticed was that a heavy arm was draped over her left side and wrapped tightly around her waist. Turning her head slightly, she found that Malfoy had his face buried deep into her neck. By the sounds of his deep, even breathing he was still asleep.

Very carefully, Hermione picked up his arm and put it by his side so that she could roll onto her back and put some distance between them. As she moved over onto the cold, untouched sheets she tried to reorder her thoughts. She had several things to process, all very confusing and seemingly life-changing.

First. Malfoy had apologised to her.

Second. He had cried over her pain and misfortune.

Third. He had asked her to stay the night with him.

What did all of this mean? Had he really meant everything he'd said, was he truthfully sorry for all that he'd done to her? Hermione couldn't doubt that he'd been lying about his worst memory. The haunted shadows in his eyes had been more than enough proof that he was being honest with her.

And that brought her to another point entirely. Out of _all _the things Draco Malfoy had done in his life - which included an extensive list of murders - his worst memory was of _her pain. _How could that be right? Was it really possible that this broken, lost soul, whose life had pretty much been laid out for him because of his birthrights, who had never had the chance to avoid the huge evils that had been thrust upon him…was it really possible that his pain was nothing compared to _hers? _

_Yes, _Hermione thought quietly. The last few years of her life had more than erased any happy memories from her earlier years. Her family, her friends, her love - all gone. Her remaining friends living in daily torment, she right along with them. Pain that stretched beyond the petty boundaries of the imagination. Daily life was death and death was suicide and suicide was daily life but a hundred times worse.

Yes. It was entirely possible that Draco Malfoy had never known pain like Hermione's. Now that he did, would he change? Would Hermione's personal torture finally end? Or would he wake up and think it all a laughable dream?

Sighing, Hermione rolled onto her side and saw two pools of stormy grey staring at her.

'Hi,' he murmured softly. His face was neutral.

'Hi,' Hermione whispered back.

Neither one of them spoke for a few long minutes, each trying to decipher the hidden thoughts behind the other's calm exteriors. Finally, Hermione had to ask.

'How do you feel today?' she scanned his face for signs of coldness but she couldn't find any. It seemed that Draco Malfoy's walls were finally coming down.

'I feel…different,' Malfoy said at last, his face screwing up slightly in thought.

'How so?' Hermione pressed him, watching him closely.

'I don't know,' he admitted at last. Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

'Do you remember everything from last night?' Hermione asked. A flicker of blind panic crossed Malfoy's eyes before he answered.

'I do,' he said. His tone sounded regretful, and Hermione felt her heart clasping painfully. Did he regret apologising to her? Did he regret asking her to stay?

'Do you…do you want to tell me about it?' she finally choked out, suppressing the low gurgles of panic beginning in her stomach. Sighing, Malfoy closed his eyes and rolled onto his back, running his fingers through his wild hair.

'We were looking for them for days,' he began slowly, still not looking at her. Hermione watched and listened silently, intrigued by the story.

'We could sense where they'd been because it would be foggy and dark, but we think they knew we were coming for them. It didn't make it easier being with my father. We were sure the tension between us would make us vulnerable to them.

'Yesterday we finally found them. We stayed at a distance and made plans. Lucius wanted to go first and I was fine with that. So we conjured our Patronuses and took a Calming Draught to stop ourselves from panicking. Then we snuck up on them.'

'Did they feel you coming?' Hermione asked breathlessly.

'Not at first. But then we got closer and the full force of their powers really hit me. My father seemed fine, but I…I was on my knees…I couldn't move…I was frozen in fear. _Your _fear. Once Lucius had the majority of them under control I regained enough strength to get up and help him. We rounded them up and gave them orders to return straight to the Dark Lord's arranged place for them. They did as we said and left, but I could still feel their faces turned towards me. They knew I was…scared…that I was weak.

'My father insisted we went to the pub before returning home. We both needed a strong drink and we were both shaken. But I was much worse than him. I could barely speak. After that, he had to go and inform the Dark Lord of our success. I came home.'

'But you didn't come inside,' Hermione surmised, remembering the moonlit figure she'd found by the lake.

'No. I couldn't. I took a Portkey back and I stood where it left me - by the water. It was already dark by then and I stood there for hours. I couldn't…I couldn't come in and face my mother. I couldn't talk. I don't think I was even _thinking._ I felt so…empty…'

'And that's when I found you,' Hermione finished. Malfoy nodded slowly and turned his head to look at her.

'You saved me,' he said. Hermione blushed and looked away from his murky eyes.

'You would have come in eventually,' she mumbled, feeling embarrassed and out of place. But Malfoy shook his head.

'No. You really saved me.'

'What…what do you mean?' Hermione couldn't help but turn back to him and found that he was closer than she'd thought. His jaw line was tense as he spoke again.

'All my life I've lived like this,' he breathed softly. 'Compassion is something that was stamped out of me a long time ago. And last night, it all came flooding back to me. Empathy like I've never felt before. All because of you.'

Hermione didn't know what to say to _that. _She shifted uncomfortably and sat up, suddenly feeling flustered.

'I should go,' she muttered, pushing back the blankets that were confining her.

'_No_,' Malfoy commanded. He sat up too and put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to be still. Hermione was enraptured by the intensity of his gaze.

'I'm not running this time and neither are you,' he whispered.

And in that moment Draco's eyes went straight through her and tore up her soul, rethreading the very lines of her existence and putting them back together in a whole new pattern. For those few seconds that stretched out into her entire life she wasn't Hermione Granger anymore. She was just a girl, coming to the realisation that the man before her was a complete stranger who she knew more intimately than herself.

As Draco leaned towards her there was no more resistance. There was no running, as he said, and there was no more pushing away. Instead, their two worlds were about to come crashing together at last.

Hermione's heart stuttered as Draco's lips collided with her own, forceful and commanding. Her soft mouth disappeared beneath his own and Hermione sighed in final release as he pushed her back down onto the bed.

His body covered hers completely, her tiny frame dominated by his strong physique. Draco pressed her against the pillows, his hands coming up to cup her face delicately between his warm hands. Hermione moaned as his tongue swept across her bottom lip, unable to deny him entrance, and gripped his solid sides tightly in her fingers.

As their kissing became more urgent so did her need to be closer to him. Gasping, Hermione broke her lips away from his and pushed him away so that she could rip the thick woollen jumper from his back. Draco raised his arms over his head, breathing heavily as he moved his face closer to Hermione's while she struggled with the jumper. He rested his forehead against hers and their eyes locked into each other, both impatient to continue their embrace.

Finally, Hermione pulled the jumper over Draco's head and his singlet quickly followed. As soon as he was free of his constraints Draco's hands were pulling her face towards him. Hermione kissed him back frenziedly, unable to take enough from his heated lips.

Her hands roamed his bare skin greedily, exploring the hardened grooves of his stomach and moulding against the solid planes of his chest. As her fingers found a nipple and squeezed impatiently Draco groaned deep into her mouth, pulling her even closer. His hands left her face and travelled down her sides, causing Hermione to shiver beneath him.

His hands caressed her waist and moved down to the hyper-sensitive skin of her silky thigh, pulling her dress several inches up her leg. Raising himself off of her, Draco dragged the rough fabric up her body, breathing raggedly as he watched her creamy skin being revealed to him. Hermione arched her back obediently and let him pull the dress over her head, throwing it to the floor.

Instantly his mouth found her torturingly smooth skin and he trailed kissed across her stomach, his hands holding her firmly in place as she squirmed restlessly beneath him. Hermione's thighs fell open in surrender and Draco slid himself in between her legs, groaning when her hips grated against his own. His mouth made its way painfully slowly up her stomach and to her chest, kissing what was revealed to him feverishly.

Hermione reached up to pull the straps of her bra off her shoulders, quickly rising her back to allow his hands to sneak behind her and take care of the rest. She gasped as his mouth locked onto her nipple and sucked gently, causing it to grow between his hot lips. Reaching up, she grabbed onto his hair and held him in place. As she pulled roughly on his flaxen locks a deep, guttural moan escaped from his throat and he moved up to capture her lips in a hard, ruling kiss.

His hands encircled her delicate breasts and squeezed gently as Hermione arched her back to him urgently. Her hands travelled down his neck and to his sturdy shoulders, gripping to him as she ground her hips against his pelvis.

Gasping, Draco pulled his mouth from hers in attempt to force more air into his lungs as an intense burning took him over from his loins. Hermione felt it as his stiffened member rubbed against her thigh, further enflaming the yearning between her legs. Her thighs encircled his waist and pulled the bottom half of his body even closer, causing him to grit his teeth against the uncontrollable need to take her right then. He needed to take it slow for her, make her comfortable.

Draco reached down and slowly slipped his fingers into the waistband of her underwear, watching her face to make sure that she was okay. Impatiently, Hermione raised herself off the bed to let him slip them down her legs. Draco took his time, every inch of skin seeming to take hours, until finally he slid them around her ankle and off her foot. He kissed his way back the other direction, hovering teasingly on the inside of her upper thigh.

Hermione moaned and reached out to pull him closer, but Draco stayed where he was. Very slowly, he lowered her leg and moved so that he was leaning over her. For a moment he did nothing but stare longingly into her eyes, and Hermione stared back. She knew that he was looking to her for consent, and slowly she gave it to him.

She reached up and tugged gently at his boxers, not daring to look down. With some difficulty she slid them over his swollen erection and down his legs, letting go so that he could kick them off.

With their eyes never leaving each other's, Draco carefully covered her tiny body with his own and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. She kissed him back fiercely, pouring all of her needs and wants into it.

Draco moved back to look at her again, and Hermione tried to control her breathing.

'I want to,' she whispered throatily, pushing her hips against him to reiterate her meaning.

Still staring at her, Draco moved his hips away from her and positioned his craving member at her entrance. Immediately he felt her warmth and wetness and he twitched in anticipation, desperate to be buried deep inside her.

With her hands gripping his hips tightly, Hermione held her breath in expectation of the pain and waited for him to take her. Slowly, painfully slowly, Draco slid himself into her waiting centre. Immediately her tight walls clinged to him and pulsed around his throbbing manhood, dragging a rough growl from his throat.

Hermione held him tightly, her eyes rolling back into her head as Draco slowly slid himself inside her. Every second was like pure pleasure, his warmth radiating through her entire body. As he paused momentarily, Hermione braced herself for the pain.

In one swift movement, Draco pushed himself through her last boundary. As Hermione cried out in pain he covered her mouth with his own, kissing her furiously. As her quiet whimperings faded away he leaned onto his elbows above her and gave her soft, delicate kisses.

Slowly, Draco began to drag himself out of her core and Hermione moaned in pleasure as he plunged back inside of her. His long, powerful weapon had her entirely surrendered as a low whining began in her throat. Her hips raised up to meet his and with every forceful but gentle thrust were forced back down onto the bed.

Draco buried his face in her neck and gritted his teeth, holding in a low groan that wanted to escape his body. She was so tight, so warm, so perfectly fitted to him that he didn't feel he could last much longer.

Hermione's legs wrapped around his back, holding him tightly in place as he carefully plunged deeper and deeper inside her. She had never known pleasure like this. The pain faded quickly and was overtaken by nothing but bliss and heat, both which took hold of her body and left her completely defenceless in her desire.

Never in her wildest and long-distant fantasies could she ever have imagined such a perfect moment, his undoubtable skill and confidence dominating her entirely. Hermione's arms trailed up to his clenched biceps and held on firmly, pulling his mouth closer so that she could possess it again.

Draco groaned into her lips and quickened his pace, feeling the end nearby. He wanted to bring her with him, and he was certainly the right man to accomplish the task. Adjusting his hips quickly and pushing his body further above her, Draco began to thrust more deeply inside of her, closing his eyes against the feel of her pulsating centre pulling him towards her.

Hermione let out a gasp of delight as the first wave of incomprehensible heat and force overcome her, nearly knocking her out with its intensity. Her nails dug into his skin as she began to whimper softly, the pleasure she was feeling new and overwhelming to her.

Draco's rhythm continued for several more, unbearably good minutes until he felt her coming to her peak. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as Draco filled her more quickly and completely. The feeling that was taking over her body was irresistible and consuming, but she didn't want it to end.

Letting out a long, low moan, Hermione's body began to quiver and shake. Above her, Draco took her lips in one last, fiery kiss as he went rigid inside her. At that very moment Hermione reached her peak and her insides tightened around his thick member. With Hermione's moans in his ears and her warm walls clenching around him, Draco filled her completely with his searing fluids and slowly stiffened.

Carefully, Draco rolled off of Hermione and laid himself at her side, breathing raggedly. Hermione, still overcome by the incredible range of emotions she'd just felt, lay staring up at the ceiling for a long time.

After what seemed like hours of frozen eternity she slowly turned her head to look at the man next to her. His eyes were closed, his face impartial to any kind of emotion she could read. At long last Hermione reached out and her fingers gently brushed against his cheek.

Draco started and looked over at her, raising an eyebrow in unspoken question.

'I just wanted…to see if you were really there,' Hermione mumbled, unable to look away from his eyes. She couldn't read them. It wasn't until a small, crooked smile crept across his lips that she knew what he was thinking.

'And what was your conclusion?' he asked softly. Hermione frowned back at him.

'That you are completely, inexplicably, undeniable real,' she replied. Draco frowned in response to her expression and opened his mouth to speak when the door to the room opened abruptly.

'Draco, we must talk about last ni -'

Lucius froze in his steps as Hermione quickly scrambled to hide herself beneath the sheets and Draco's mouth gaped open in horror.

'Ah, hello, Pearl,' Lucius said finally, a devilish sneer playing about his mouth. As Hermione nodded a humiliated hello back she heard a sharp intake of breath from beside her and looked over to see Draco staring between her and his father in confusion.

_Of course…he doesn't know that everyone can still see me as Pearl._

'Forgive me for interrupting,' Lucius continued, still looking between them maliciously. 'But we must talk, Draco.'

'Fine,' Draco muttered, waving an impatient hand at his father. 'Give me a minute.'

'I'll be in my study.' With one last wolfish grin at Hermione, Lucius left.

Immediately Hermione's fists unclenched and she sank several inches further down into the bed.

'What just happened?' Draco said quietly, and Hermione wasn't sure if he was talking to her or not.

'It actually turns out that your spell worked a little too well. No re-casting seems to be necessary once you cast it the first time,' Hermione said matter-of-factly, intending to draw his attention back to her.

'That's not possible,' Draco replied instantly, sitting up and dragging his feet to the side of the bed. Hermione wasn't sure what to do, so she stayed in place beneath the sheets.

'It is,' she answered meekly, put off by his bold rebuff.

'It's not,' Draco said, glancing at her over his shoulder and frowning deeply. 'I know how to cast spells, and I didn't cast a Sticking Charm on you.'

'If…if you say so,' Hermione murmured, bowing her head. She didn't understand why he was protesting this so avidly when he had just seen the proof for himself that the spell had stuck.

Draco stood and walked around the bed to his wardrobe. Hermione watched silently as he pulled on a fresh pair of dark boxers, followed by a crisp, deep grey suit. Without checking in the mirror, he ran his fingers through his hair and appeared ready for the day ahead.

He turned back to Hermione and she bit her lip as she stared back into his brooding face.

'Why would he lie?' he muttered quietly, running his fingers through his hair again. He took a few steps away from her and then turned back, retracing his steps. Hermione watched silently as he muttered to himself quietly, frowning at the floor.

'No, he wouldn't have. He definitely saw Pearl. But how…?' Hermione tried to follow his quiet murmurs in confusion, her heartbeat slowly building as she waited for Draco's attention to return to her.

'Someone else must have…' Draco stopped pacing and looked up at her. 'When did you discover this?'

'Just yesterday,' Hermione answered quickly, almost frightened by the intensity in his gaze.

'How?' Draco went on without pausing.

'I went to meet your mother. The house elves told me I hadn't looked like me since the ball.'

Draco looked more surly than ever as he turned away from her again.

'Something's very wrong here. I have to figure this out…' he mused to himself, rubbing his temples as if fighting off a sudden headache. Hermione didn't feel well herself as she stared at his tensed frame.

They had just made love and now they were having a conversation about spells. And now he was leaving to go and talk with his father. Who had just walked in on them in bed together, which didn't seem to bother the young Malfoy at all. Like it was nothing.

'Well…I have to go,' he said at long last, avoiding her gaze. Hermione nodded silently and, holding the sheet tightly to her body, climbed out of bed and picked up her clothes. Draco turned around as she dressed and looked back at her only after she coughed discreetly.

'Right. So…I'll…I'll see you later,' he said awkwardly.

Hermione's face fell and she had to fight back tears as she nodded in reply. With her eyes closed, she didn't notice as Draco crossed the space between them and gently lifted her chin between his strong, warm fingers.

'I haven't forgotten last night,' he whispered to her. Hermione opened her eyes in surprise so it was not a shock to her when his rough lips pressed lightly against hers.

It was over before a second had passed, but still Hermione could feel his lips upon hers. Even as he crossed the room and she stayed rooted to the spot the electricity danced across her mouth.

Draco paused in the doorway, his face only half turned back towards her.

'And…I'm sorry,' he said quietly. Then he was gone.

Hermione stared after him for a long time, her fingers pressed against her tingling lips.

What was he sorry for? Was he apologising again for all the pain he'd caused her…or was he saying that he regretted what had just happened between them?

It seemed to Hermione that as their bodies had parted so had their minds, and his was just as impenetrable as ever to her once again. Why had he seemed so distant moments ago? But then why had he kissed her before he left?

Hermione sank to her knees as she found them unable to hold her up anymore. She had just made love to Draco Malfoy. And she had wanted to. She had wanted to so badly, and she had enjoyed every second of it. And he had appeared to as well…but then…nothing.

Was this just his way of relieving the stress of last night? Did he just feel bad for all the pain he'd caused her and decided to take pity on her poor, merciless body at last? Had the dementors finally unscrewed the last hinge in that complicated mind of his?

Or was this just the grand finale of his plan?

Was this what Draco Malfoy had wanted all along? To make her pity him and care for him?

_No._

_No._

_NO._

She had looked into his eyes and for once seen nothing but sincerity there. This could _not _be false. He was truly sorry for all he'd done to her. And this morning…Hermione didn't know what this morning was to either of them.

_Why did I let myself do that? _she asked herself in utter incomprehension.

She had never imagined that she would be that intimate with a man other than Ron. Of course, that would never happen…but never in a hundred different lifetimes had she imagined making love to another man…particularly one that she didn't even love.

Because she _didn't _love him. Certainly, she was physically attracted to him. It was impossible not to be, and Hermione defied any woman on the Earth to meet this man and not find herself compelled by his unstoppable masculinity and beautiful face.

But Hermione had never been the kind of girl to sleep with a man just because he was good looking. Hadn't her virtue and her dating record proved that? Both of these things were redundant now, though…one long forgotten in a now-impossible past and the other recently lost in a surreal present.

Had she done it out of _pity?_ No. She couldn't have enjoyed it so much if she had.

Relief that he had returned alive?

Well…maybe that was a part of it. Maybe that was just one little piece of a much bigger picture, one that Hermione wasn't quite ready to examine yet.

So one more time, in complete disarray and frustration, Hermione asked herself…_Why did I let myself do this?_

And the answer was simple.

_Because sometimes you have to let yourself do things. Even if they might hurt you in the end._

--

Draco took his time as he walked through the house towards his father's study. He was in no way ready to be near anyone at this time. His thoughts were more than loud enough at this moment.

Whatever had just happened…he couldn't bear to unravel it. He didn't want to pull for that taunting little string, but he knew that he must.

_I slept with Granger._

The mere memory of it had his body aching with warmth and coldness all in one. Warmth…because it had been indescribably _good _to be inside of her, to have her beneath him. She was finally his, after so so long, and what was more - she had given herself willingly…something he had never imagined happening in a million years.

And coldness…because what did he do now? He had dreamt of this moment for many months, planned it ruthlessly and incessantly…but now that it had come to pass it wasn't at all what he had imagined. He didn't feel victorious or triumphant. He just felt…

_What? What, Draco, WHAT?_

He paused along the hallway and turned to see that he was standing before a large silver-framed mirror. The man who stared back at him was completely unfamiliar, nothing at all like the monster who he sometimes saw. This time he was just Draco Malfoy.

But who was Draco Malfoy?

'Who is Draco Malfoy?' he whispered to the puzzled man before him. He had no answer.

Draco began walking again, a frown screwing across his face. He could not remember, in all his life, feeling as much like himself as he did in this moment. And this scared him more than anything…because after a life of evil, pain and terror, he didn't know who the hell he was.

Hermione Granger was bringing out the man inside him and he didn't know how to handle it. It was all so new to him…the compassion that had been stirring in him for weeks now, only finally breaking completely free of the surface last night in his living nightmare; the empathy that was still with him after the sunrise, which he had left a part of behind with the girl he now knew had faced worse than he ever had; the tenderness he had shown to her as he had made love to her.

Draco snorted. _Made love. I don't "make love" to anybody._

And then there was the added problem that something or somebody had been tampering with his spells. Yet that made no sense at all. He was certain that he hadn't made a mistake when he'd cast it the first time. But there was no other explanation. He was just lucky that his parents hadn't happened to come across Hermione around the house over the last few weeks, or he would have had a lot to answer to and a lot of punishing to take. He needed to reverse the spell as quickly as possible before his luck ran out…explaining to his father why his girlfriend was polishing their silverware was definitely not something he needed right now.

But the Pearl mystery didn't seem so important right now. He now stood before the door to his father's study and paused for a moment. He could just keep walking, and decipher the endless cascade of emotions that was tumbling out of him.

…or he could go inside and put his mask back on once more.

_I haven't forgotten last night, _he'd said to her. And it was true, he hadn't. He just didn't want to deal with it right now. He didn't know how and he was too scared to try.

Malfoy's eyes were dark and empty as he opened the door to his father's study.

--

Hermione didn't feel her self as she stumbled about the kitchens that afternoon. She was finding it hard to concentrate, yet she was trying her best to ignore the thoughts squirming about her head.

She hadn't seen Malfoy since he'd left her in his room, nor did she know if she wanted to. A part of her was dying to know what he felt about her now. But a bigger part of her was terrified that she would be hurt again. Being with him had been wonderful, fearless…but as the minutes dragged by and his warmth crept away from her Hermione began to doubt more and more that she had really read his true feelings in his face.

After all, he was the charmer, the seducer. And he had finally succeeded in seducing her. Maybe this is what he did to every woman…

Hermione shook her head angrily from side to side, hard enough to make her vision wobble.

_Snap out of it. Don't think about him._

As she forced her eyes to focus solely on stirring the large saucy mixture before her, she began to recite to herself the second chapter of _Hogwarts: A History._ She didn't pause for anything, not even to let herself interrupt.

The elves watched their friend slightly worriedly. They could tell that something was different about her, though they had no idea what. Apart from her changed appearance, which they were now used to, she seemed strangely distant today. Distant and…confused? But almost happy in a way…no, Flopsy thought, not happy…hopeful.

'Hermione?' he asked tentatively, prodding her gently in the small of her back. Hermione didn't respond, she was so engrossed in the text that was travelling purposefully through her head.

'We hopes you is ok,' Flopsy whispered quietly, backing away slowly. He would leave her be. She would deal with whatever she was thinking about, just like she always did. She was Hermione. What hadn't she forced herself through yet?

--

_Chapter Fourteen: The Founder's Dreams Come True._

Hermione lay on her back, staring up at the damp ceiling above her. She hadn't paused her recital once all night, and it was now well into the morning. But she was nowhere near sleep, so she kept going.

_It was after extensive preparation and co-operation that the four Hogwarts Founders were finally able to put forth the bill to the Ministry of Magic and present their case. They believed that their school would some day produce the best and brightest, kindest and most powerful witches and wizards. The Ministry of Magic had some concerns, however…_

Sighing, Hermione sat up.

_I can't do this any more. I need to see him._

And before she could stop herself again Hermione was out of bed and treading carefully through the kitchens and up the stairs. She didn't know what was leading her, but she felt that he wouldn't be in his room tonight. He would be the same place she had found him this same time about twenty-four hours ago.

As she crept through the house and pushed open the doors to the gardens her eyes instantly found what they were looking for. He was as unmistakeable as ever, his figure half-camouflaged in the darkness as he stood by the lake.

As Hermione approached she suddenly feared that he wouldn't remember this morning. He looked identical to what he had last night…what if she had simply dreamt up all the rest? And that in fact, as she walked towards him now, none of the last twenty-four hours had actually happened?

'Malfoy?' she called as she came to a stand still several feet away from him. She held her breath, expecting to look into his face and see the ruined man she had found the night before…

'I thought you might come,' he said, sighing as he turned to face her. Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful that her imagination hadn't dreamt up those recent events. She surveyed his face, anxious to interpret his feelings in that moment.

He was as impossible as ever, though.

'I couldn't sleep,' she admitted finally, as he didn't speak again. He regarded her for a long moment before nodding slowly.

'Neither could I,' he said. Hermione listened for the frustration, the annoyance…but she didn't catch a note of anything in his tone.

'I…I couldn't think straight, either,' she went on quickly, knowing that she would regret it later if she didn't say what she was thinking right now. Malfoy sighed again but didn't reply.

'Did you find out anything about the…the spell on me?' Hermione prompted him, wanted to hear his voice again.

'No. I guess I just made a mistake,' Malfoy replied, yet his monotone voice suggested that he didn't believe that himself. 'Which reminds me…'

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, causing Hermione to flinch slightly as he pointed it into her face.

'_Finito Incantatem,'_ he recited, and Hermione felt a slight tingle as she was unmasked at last.

'Why do that now?' she asked, feeling her face as if expecting to feel a change.

'I can't have one of my parents finding you dressed as a slave in our house,' Malfoy said. Hermione nodded, internally hitting herself for not seeing such an obvious thing. It was very fortunate that this hadn't happened already.

At his mention of the word 'slave' both of them fell into an uneasy quiet.

'I think we should…talk,' Hermione said at last, confused by his silence. _Does he want me to leave? _she wondered in a panic.

'Yes,' Malfoy agreed. 'I guess we should.'

When he didn't go on, Hermione supposed it was up to her to start. She had no idea where to go from here, though. This was completely uncharted territory to her, but surely to him it was just another night's work.

'I…I just need to know,' she said breathlessly. Her heart was thudding painfully in her chest, preparing her for the possibility of pain. 'I need to know if you meant what you said last night.'

For a long moment Malfoy was silent, and Hermione couldn't read his face as it had fallen into shadow. As she was preparing to speak again, he finally took a deep breath and answered.

'I did,' he said softly. Her heart sped up and Hermione nodded as calmly as she could.

'Ok. Then I also need to know what…what this morning meant…to you.'

They were some of the hardest words she'd ever had to say, and she was thankful for the darkness that was covering her blush. She stared at the ground at his feet as she waited for his reply. After what seemed like an hour, his deep voice finally pierced the silence.

'What do you think it meant to me?' Malfoy asked, his tone genuinely curious. He hadn't expected this of Granger…He had expected anger, regret, rage. But she seemed just as confused as he was.

Hermione let out a small noise of irritation at his answer and looked up at him. The darkness covered the look of barely disguised desperation that had overcome her face.

'Please, Malfoy, _please_ will you just tell me…I can't take anymore…anymore of this…please…'

Malfoy took a step towards her in alarm. He was surprised by her outburst, by the real defeat that shook her voice. And he knew that he just had to tell her the truth.

'What did it mean to me? Honestly?' he paused for a moment, the regret obvious in his tone. 'I don't know.'

Hermione couldn't hide the disappointment she felt by his answer. And she didn't doubt him, either.

'How can you not know? It should be simple for you - either it meant nothing or it meant something, Malfoy.' A tinge of anger had hit her voice now, and Malfoy bristled at the sound of it.

'You think it's that simple, Granger?' he said, firing up himself. 'You think I'm like that, like I only have two gears and nothing in between?'

'_Don't_ you?' Hermione challenged, crossing her arms over her chest as she glowered up at the outline of his face.

'No,' Malfoy snapped. 'I have more than two gears, alright? And right now, I'm in neutral, so don't go telling me that it's that simple for me!'

'What…what do you mean you're in neutral?' Hermione asked in confusion. His anger surprised her…why did he seem as worked up as her?

Malfoy sighed loudly and turned to walk closer to the lake. Hermione followed after him and gripped his arm to stop him. But as their skin connected, and a sudden heat rushed through them both, she let go of him quickly. Malfoy turned back to her, breathing heavily.

'Look, Granger…' he started again, the anger ebbing away from him slowly as though her touch had served to calm him down from his rage. 'I'll admit that maybe I did used to just have two gears. One gear, in fact. And that gear was called "Me, Me, Me." But now…you've pulled me into another place, one that was buried a long time ago. And I feel…I feel…'

'You feel what, Malfoy?' Hermione prompted him breathlessly, desperate to see a little more insight into him.

'I feel stuck. Between the me that I know and the me that you've brought alive inside me. And I don't know which is the real me. I'm just stuck in neutral. I'm stuck.'

Hermione took a moment to digest this. Malfoy claimed that she had awoken the real person inside him…the human person. And he didn't know how to handle it.

'I don't know what to say,' she said at last, still trying to believe that all of what was happening was really real.

Malfoy laughed suddenly, but there was no warmth to it at all.

'You don't have to say anything. I didn't ask for your help, Granger. Don't think that because of last night I'm going to come running to you with all my problems. Don't think that I'm suddenly a changed man, ok? I'm still Malfoy and you're still Granger. Master and slave.'

Hermione didn't answer straight away. Firstly she had nothing to say to this statement, because while it did feel like he was turning her away, it completely contradicted everything else he just said. And she knew him better than that now.

'That's fine, Malfoy. And don't _you _think that I was expecting you to suddenly fall in love with me or something either, ok? Because despite what happened this morning - which now you've completely ruined, by the way - I really _don't _want to help you with your problems, and I don't _like_ you or anything, so before you get any crazy, masochistic ideas -'

'What did you say?' Malfoy interrupted quietly, looking down at her with a sudden intensity that hadn't been there before.

'I said that before you get any crazy, masochistic ideas about -'

'No,' Malfoy shook his head. 'Before that.'

'I…I don't want to help you with your problems?' Hermione said, feeling thoroughly confused and affronted that the tables had suddenly been turned back around onto her.

'Before that,' Malfoy said breathlessly, his expression strange in the moonlight. Hermione felt puzzled as she thought back to what she had just said.

'That you…that you've completely ruined this morning,' she said softly. 'So what?'

Malfoy shook his head disbelievingly and stared over her head out into the dark water beyond.

'_What,_ Malfoy?' Hermione said again, feeling overwhelmed by the way the conversation kept turning around and jumping on her. Malfoy smiled slightly strangely, staring off into the distance with his hands on his hips. 'Why is that important at all?'

'It's important,' Malfoy said, turning back to look at her with the same strange smile on his face. 'Because you can only ruin something that's good.'

Hermione suddenly realised that his smile was strange because it was a conflicted smile. There was something about it that was so supremely sad, yet at the same time it was…hopeful.

'So what?' Hermione whispered, the conversation becoming too much for her as Malfoy was tearing the truth out of her slowly and painfully. 'So what if it was good for me? So what if it meant something to me? I've never…I've never felt that way before…never been so close to someone in my entire life…and then now we're standing here and we're not close at all. We're as far from it as it's possible to be.'

A tear trickled down her cheek but Hermione didn't bother to wipe it away as she began to back away. Evidently, Malfoy had gotten all that he wanted to hear from her and their conversation was over. She would just go now and try and deal with the truth that she now had admitted to herself…

But Malfoy wasn't going to let her.

In less than a stride he had her arms sealed tightly between his hands and his lips were pressed against hers. For a moment Hermione was numb with shock, but then she was kissing him back frantically, desperate to try and pull some sense out of what was happening before her heart exploded with all of the emotions passing through it.

After the kiss had gone on long enough to warm Hermione to her very core, she pulled herself from his grasp and took a step away to stare up at him. Malfoy…or was it now Draco…stared back at her for a moment.

'Come to my room,' he said, taking Hermione by complete surprise.

'What?' she said in shock, blinking several times to make sure he was really there and really looking at her like that.

'Come to my room with me,' he said again. Hermione shook her head in disbelief.

'N - no,' she said firmly, backing away as steadily as she could.

'Please,' he urged her, reaching out towards her. But Hermione would not change her mind.

'Not tonight. I need…I need to think.'

Draco said nothing but stared at her, his face hidden in the gloom of the night.

'So...' Hermione began. But then she stopped herself. _So, where does all this leave us? _she was going to say. But she knew he didn't have the answer to that.

Before he could poison her mind with more crazy thoughts, Hermione turned and ran. She wasn't quite sure if she felt more confused going into the conversation or leaving it.

All she did know that now there were two of him. Malfoy she knew and hated well. But Draco…she didn't trust herself around him. And as his lips had touched hers, she truly didn't know which person she was kissing…

--

**At last! After a lot of teasing...finally they got together. I really enjoyed writing that because it felt really special to me. I hope you all liked it as well. Now please, feel free to overwelm me again with such an AMAZING number of reviews that I actually might cry...I'm not even joking, you guys make me feel so special! Please let me know what you think! Lots of love xx**


	22. The Sacrificer

**Here we are again - I feel like it was just the other day that I posted the last chapter but then I checked and it was two weeks ago! I hope you weren't dying with impatience, feel free to scold me once you're done reading this chapter. **

**Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, you all had such lovely things to say about the last chapter. I tried to reply to your reviews though I may not have got to everyone or replied to some twice, but I'm rereading them all right now as I write this so I'm thinking of you all :) I really loved reading tigerlily3489's opinion on Lucius' worst memory: split ends hehe. Also just to reply to just_sam, I wanted them to do it in the morning because people always do it at night and then fall asleep and I just wanted to make it a bit different...though in real like they both would have been like "umm, eww morning breath"...**

**Well, this chapter has plenty of Hermione/Draco scenes and Seamus makes a few appearances as well (his secrets stay hidden for now though...sorry :( I know this is driving some of you insane). I don't want to spoil any surprises, though...Enjoy!**

**--**

Hermione needed time to think. It had been less than 24 hours since Malfoy had invited her to his room, and all she wanted was to make it through the day without seeing him again. But every time she told herself this, the craving to see him again fought to make itself known within her.

Confusion was no stranger to her now, after all she had witnessed and experienced in this household. For once though, she knew that Malfoy was just as baffled as she was, and this thought scared her because she had never known Malfoy to be unsure about anything. He was the epitome of confidence and strength, and look where he was now.

As she wasted away the afternoon hours sitting on the kitchen floor and absentmindedly picking at a thread in her dress, the house elves watched her from across the room. They couldn't figure out the sweet little smile that kept creeping onto her face as she stared vacantly at the her hemline, but it made them happy to no end that at last she appeared to have a little of it herself after so, so long.

'I think I knows that look,' Minky giggled, blushing as she peered over at Flopsy. His ears flapped as he grinned back at her, and they shared a knowing nod between them. Tellty looked over at Hermione in puzzlement and then back to Minky.

'Is Hermione ill?' he asked in confusion. Minky giggled again and shook her head, covering her mouth as though trying to keep in a secret that she was dying to tell.

'Hermione is in love!' she squeaked, unable to hold it in due to the joy it brought her to say it. The nearby elves looked around at Hermione in dawning comprehension, and slowly all of their smiles grew.

'With who?' Tellty asked delightedly, as all of them turned back to Minky in expectation. Minky's expression dropped slightly as she shrugged.

'She isn't knowing it yet,' she said knowingly, nodding as if she could read minds. The elves murmured in excitement.

'Should…should we tells her?' Tellty suggested, looking eager at the thought. But Minky shook her head firmly.

'No. She is finding out when she is ready.'

Flopsy nodded in agreement as he came to stand beside her. He knew Hermione better than anyone else now, and although he could see that she was struggling with something terrible, all he really cared about was that she seemed to have found a fraction of happiness.

--

'Hermione?'

'Hm?' Hermione started many hours later and looked around to see Flopsy holding out a plate of food to her.

'You is been staring for a long time now. I thought you might be hungry,' Flopsy explained, forcing the plate into her hands.

'Oh, thank you,' Hermione said gratefully, furrowing her brow in confusion as she realised that she had in fact not moved all day.

'I see you is been thinking hard,' Flopsy said lightly. Hermione nodded and sighed.

'I don't know what to do, Flopsy,' she admitted, picking dejectedly at her potatoes. Flopsy looked around nervously before leaning closer.

'About what, Hermione?' he asked curiously, concerned by the lost look on her face.

'Oh, you know…' Hermione replied absently, wishing she could explain everything to him. But after all, he was a house elf. While he had been more than understanding to her, Hermione doubted that he would be able to understand the recent complications in her life.

'How's Minky?' she asked to change the subject. Flopsy grinned and looked around the room for her.

'She is good. She is asking me to make her dinner tomorrow night.'

'That's great,' Hermione said encouragingly, already sinking away into her own world of thoughts. Flopsy sensed her need to be alone and left quickly, feeling happy that he had at least gotten her to eat something.

--

The following day Hermione was about to follow the elves out into the garden to help trim the grass when she remembered that she was no longer disguised as Pearl Shadows. The sudden thought that she might run into Narcissa was frightening - it would be horrible to have the older woman abusing her again after she had been privy to her "nicer" side. It was an even scarier notion than running into Lucius - at least with him she knew what to expect.

So it was unwillingly that Hermione stayed behind in the dank kitchens and set to work shining the already dazzling cutlery. The kitchen was entirely deserted and she thought wistfully of the sunshine above. But she had the nasty suspicion that if the weather was as lovely as she thought, Narcissa would be out there.

Sighing, Hermione set to work on the large collection of pointed knives that the Malfoy's evidently favoured for dinner.

'Polish…' she muttered, looking around hopelessly for it. 'If I was the silver polish…'

She ducked down and opened the cupboard beneath her, half crawling into it to reach right into the back. As she was feeling around for something that was hopefully a large bottle of silver polish she didn't hear the quiet footsteps that entered the room.

Malfoy didn't notice her as he strolled into the empty kitchen and reached for a shiny red apple in the middle of one of the large wooden tables. As he took a big bite Hermione jumped at the sudden sound, banging her head on the edge of the bench and causing Malfoy to choke on his apple in surprise.

'Damnit!' Hermione exclaimed as she climbed gingerly to her feet. 'Oh,' she said as she blinked up at Malfoy.

Malfoy swallowed painfully and looked at her curiously, wondering what on Earth she was doing. After a long moment of staring at each other, Hermione finally spoke again.

'Hello,' she said awkwardly.

'Hello,' Malfoy replied just as stiffly. After another awkward pause Hermione went on.

'What are you doing down here?' she asked, although by the apple in his hand it was obvious.

'I was just walking around and I got hungry,' Malfoy answered guardedly. He looked embarrassed to have been caught, as if worried that she would think he had just been looking for her. Hermione blinked at him for a few seconds before her eyes suddenly watered over.

'Ow,' she groaned, rubbing her forehead and wincing at the pain from hitting her head. Malfoy smirked, amused by her delayed reaction, and strolled towards her.

'Let me see,' he commanded, prying her hands away from the nasty red bump that was appearing there. Hermione moved her hands half-heartedly and Malfoy jumped back as he noticed the knife she held.

'Woah!' he exclaimed, moving out of the way as it swung through the air with her arm's movement. 'Merlin, are you trying to kill me?'

Hermione looked down at her hand in bewilderment, forgetting that she had been in search of the silver polish for the knives, and laughed.

'Maybe,' she said playfully, holding it up like a dagger before her.

'Like you could,' Malfoy smirked. Hermione scowled at him, but the next thing she knew her hand was empty and he was twirling it expertly between his fingers.

'Give that back,' she glowered, resisting the urge to pout. 'I'm trying to do my job here.'

'What, are you a hired assassin?' Malfoy said sarcastically, holding the knife out of her reach as she made a move to snatch it away from him. 'Because if you are, I think I just blew your cover.'

'Don't be stupid,' Hermione snapped, refusing to jump to try and grab it out of his too-high grasp. 'I'm trying to polish it. If I can find the polish, that is.'

'Oh, so _that's_ what you were doing down there,' Malfoy said, nodding towards the cupboard. 'I thought that's where you slept.'

Hermione glared at him as he smirked back, but then his eyes shifted to her forehead and he frowned slightly.

'You're bleeding,' he told her, forgetting about the knife and stepping forwards to take a closer look.

'Am I?' Hermione said absently, reaching up to touch her forehead. 'Oh. I am.'

'Let me see,' Malfoy said softly, pushing back her hair to take a look. Hermione stared up at him for a moment, uncomfortably aware of how close he was.

'Er, no, I'm fine,' she said quickly, turning around. 'Now, where's that polish…'

As she was bending down to take another look in the cupboard her knees buckled slightly and Malfoy reached out to catch her beneath the elbow.

'Woah,' he said, steadying her against the bench. 'Are you ok?'

'I…' Hermione looked around vaguely, her fingers tightening around his forearm to keep herself upright. 'I feel a bit faint…'

'That's probably because there's blood gushing out of your head,' Malfoy said slowly and clearly, looking at her as if she were crazy.

'Gushing?' Hermione said faintly, looking sick.

'I've got it,' Malfoy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. Hermione looked at it warily as he pointed it at her forehead, and Malfoy hesitated.

'Uh…I was never very good at healing,' he said, for once not looking full of himself. The memory of his own broken hand a few weeks back suddenly popped up fresh in his mind…he didn't exactly want to go running to Narcissa this time.

'It's fine,' Hermione insisted, 'I need to find that polish anyway.'

'You need to sit,' Malfoy commanded, steering her towards a nearby seat.

'But - the cutlery -' Hermione protested, but Malfoy cut her off angrily.

'Forget about the damned cutlery!' he said impatiently, pushing her down onto the chair. He looked around and walked out of her line of vision, only to come back with a clean tea-towel. He pressed it against her forehead and Hermione reached up to hold it in place so that he could let go.

'Thank you,' she said meekly. Her head had stopped swimming now that she was sitting down, as well.

'Show me again,' Malfoy demanded , moving the towel away from the cut. 'It's still bleeding a bit. I should seal it.'

'Ok,' Hermione relented, tilting her head up to let him get to it better. Malfoy held his wand up again, looking slightly nervous.

'It's ok,' Hermione reassured him. 'You don't have to do it perfectly.'

Malfoy scowled at her before muttering the spell over her forehead. Hermione sucked in her breath as she felt her skin being magically sewn together. She reached up to feel the cut and felt nothing but the tiniest bump.

'That's the best I can do,' Malfoy muttered, putting his wand back in his pocket.

'Thank you,' Hermione said gratefully. It was the first injury he'd - sort of - caused that he'd healed as well.

There was a long pause as neither of them moved, both looking away from each other. The last time they'd spoken, they had made somewhat of a truce between them. Now Hermione didn't know how to act around him. Was she still his slave, or what? She certainly couldn't remember the last time he'd given her an order…unless she counted the way he bossed her around the kitchen, but that was just his personality.

'Did…did you really come down here for an apple?' she asked hesitantly, trying not to look too hopeful.

'Yes, of course,' Malfoy answered quickly, looking startled at what she was suggesting. Hermione smiled slightly.

'Sure,' she muttered, getting slowly to her feet. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her as he reached for his apple and took another long, deliberate bite.

'I don't like your tone, Granger,' he said in his deepest voice. Hermione couldn't help the stutter that it caused to her heart to hear it, so she just shrugged in response in fear that her shaking voice would give her away. Malfoy noticed the way that she suddenly breathed heavily and then found that his own breathing was shallow.

'Right,' he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. 'I'll go now.'

'Ok,' Hermione moved towards him without thinking and then froze. Malfoy stared at her with wide eyes and she stuttered to say something.

'Uh - um - thank you,' she finished lamely, holding out her hand to him. Malfoy looked down at it as if she had gone mad and slowly reached out to shake it. They let go of each other very quickly and without a pause Malfoy turned and left as Hermione bent down and returned to the cupboard.

As his footsteps faded out of hearing Hermione sank back onto her backside and let out a small moan.

'Idiot, Hermione!' she scolded herself angrily. She had just made a complete fool of herself in front of him - _again_. When Malfoy had announced that he was leaving she had moved forwards as if to kiss him goodbye. As if they were couple - as if she was his wife or something!

_Let's just stick to polishing from now on, _she told herself sternly.

--

Later that day Malfoy was sitting at his desk, pondering over Hermione's strange behaviour. He hadn't imagined the tension that had been between them. One second it was there, the next he was making fun of her like always and it was gone. And when he had tried to leave she'd moved forwards as if she was going to…slap him? Attack him? Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

For one heart-pounding second he'd thought that she was going to kiss him. He had even _wanted_ her to. And then they _shook hands. _Like business partners or something! What kind of mess had he gotten himself into? Never in his life had he found himself lost for words while talking to a girl.

Malfoy sighed and got to his feet. He would push it to the back of his mind and forget about her for now - he had business to attend to. He left his bedroom and walked down the hall to his study. The door was open and Seamus was waiting for him by the fireplace, early and arrogant as usual.

'Finnigan,' he greeted him, strolling over to his desk and reaching for two glasses. 'Firewhiskey?'

'Of course,' Seamus grinned and took the glass that Malfoy offered him. Malfoy took a long drink from his own glass before he spoke.

'Now. What is it that you said was so important?' he went and sat behind his desk and Seamus lounged back into the couch, looking at him lazily.

'The Dark Lord is very pleased with you, Draco,' Seamus said, unable to completely hide the resentment from his voice. Malfoy laughed softly.

'And he's not pleased with you?'

'He's pleased with me,' Seamus frowned down at his glass, swirling the golden mixture about inside. 'But he's absolutely fucking in love with you right now.'

Malfoy chuckled again and leaned back in his chair, regarding Seamus carefully.

'And what do you want me to do about it? Dump him?' he said sarcastically. Seamus grinned maliciously and shook his head. Slowly Malfoy's smirk faded and he frowned.

'He wants me to do something else, doesn't he?'

'Got it in one, Draco,' Seamus grinned at him and downed the rest of his firewhiskey as Malfoy watched him unhappily.

'If it's more bloody Dementors, I'm not doing it,' he growled, paling at the very thought. He'd already heard enough of Hermione's pain to last him a lifetime. And he wanted to get her _off _his mind, not on it even more.

'Is the Great Draco Malfoy scared of Dementors?' Seamus taunted him, laughing at the thought. Malfoy glared at him and clenched his fists beneath the desk to resist the urge to throw his glass at him.

'No, but seriously,' Seamus went on, looking solemn again. 'He asked for you specifically - said he's very impressed with how you handled your last job. And that -' he paused, suddenly looking furious. 'That he wants you to bring me along this time so that I can learn from the _best._'

Malfoy snorted in disgust.

'What's the job?' he asked, getting straight to the point. Seamus' expression darkened as he smiled cruelly.

'You'll like this one,' he said quietly, sitting forwards to watch his face carefully. 'It's not so much a job…just more like a bit of fun -'

'Finnigan,' Malfoy interrupted harshly. 'What do I have to do?'

Seamus grinned horribly at him. 'We're going on a killing spree…'

'Great,' Malfoy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

'…at the camps,' Seamus finished. Malfoy looked up at him sharply and took in his smug expression.

'Why?' he demanded, searching his face for a sign of a joke.

'Where better to go for a killing spree than a bloody camp full of mudbloods? The Dark Lord wants you to teach me all about your…what did he call it? Oh, yes…Your _"killer instinct"_.'

'Who fucking has a better killer instinct than you?' Malfoy exclaimed in outrage, slamming his fist down on the table in frustration. Seamus stared intently at him like an eagle circling over its prey.

'Between you and me, I completely agree,' he said quietly. 'But like I said, the Dark Lord is very happy with you at the moment. He's organised a whole herd of us to follow you and "learn" from you.'

'And what of my father? Didn't _he_ do well on our last mission as well?'

'Lucius has already been assigned to a different task…you didn't know?' Seamus finished mockingly, pretending to be surprised that Malfoy wouldn't know what his father was up to.

'This is bullshit,' Malfoy glared, not believing that he would really be ordered to do this.

'Well, Draco, you see…the Dark Lord wonders why you don't come to report to him personally anymore,' Seamus said in his low voice, knowing that he had him trapped. 'And if you don't do what he says, he may be forced to come and visit you here -'

'Fine,' Malfoy said loudly. 'Fine. FINE! Just get out!'

Seamus raised his eyebrows slightly at his outburst as he got to his feet.

'Tomorrow night, Draco. Be there,' he muttered as he strolled casually from the room. Once he was gone Malfoy buried his face in his hands and groaned.

Go to the camps and kill senselessly…a few months ago this order wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest. But now the very thought of it had his insides freezing over. Just days ago he had been forced to feel his worst memories…Hermione's memories…and a lot of them had been at those very camps. He couldn't go back there. Because that's what it would feel like - like her worst nightmares coming to life. And if he ever went near another Dementor again he would only have more of his worst fears to feel. It would kill him. Even a man with no conscious couldn't knowingly do what he was being asked to do.

But there was no way he could get out of it. What Seamus said was true…he hadn't reported to the Dark Lord for a long time. And soon he might start getting suspicious that he had something to hide from him…which Seamus knew as well. He was taunting him with it.

If Malfoy went to see the Dark Lord he would know something was going on, and it would only be a matter of time before he found out about Hermione. He could sense these things…he could sense compassion around him as if he was sniffing out smoke. He would know everything. He would force him to kill her.

Malfoy knew all about Occlumency, but he wasn't ready to test his skills against the Dark Lord. He only had one option.

Tomorrow he would be hunting for blood.

--

The next morning Hermione was tiredly helping to make breakfast when Flopsy sidled up to her looking frightened.

'What is it?' she asked in a panic, her imagination jumping around as she took in his terrified expression.

'Master Malfoy has asked for you to take his breakfast up to his room,' he whispered apologetically. Hermione's fear dissolved, but her heart continued to thud quickly in her chest.

'Me?' she asked breathlessly. Flopsy nodded nervously.

'I hopes he isn't going to do anything bad,' he said fearfully. Hermione smiled at him reassuringly.

'I'll be fine,' she said, although when she said it she was suddenly uncertain.

'Here you are, Hermione,' another elf squeaked, holding out a large tray laden with food. Hermione took it and smiled once more at Flopsy to show him she wasn't scared before starting slowly up the stairs. The tray was rather heavy and the going was slow as Hermione paused in the hallway to make sure nobody was nearby. She could just hear the voice of Lucius coming from the dining room and knew she was safe to go upstairs.

Finally she made it to his room and as soon as the doors opened she hurried inside to place the tray down on his desk. She sighed in relief and shook out her arms before noticing that Malfoy wasn't sitting waiting for her.

'Granger,' he called from behind her, causing her to shriek in surprise. She turned around to see him coming out of the bathroom. She surmised that he had just finished washing up because his hair was wet and plastered to his scalp. Without glancing at the food, he began to pace up and down in front of her.

'I don't know what to do,' he muttered, glancing up at her in between his fast pacing. Hermione raised an eyebrow. Had he called her here to continue their conversation from the other night? Only to tell her that he still hadn't figured out what he wanted to do?

'You already told me that, Malfoy,' she said, feeling irritated that he couldn't make up his mind about anything anymore.

'What?' Malfoy stopped pacing to look at her. 'I only have until tonight.'

'Excuse me?' Hermione said, suddenly feeling confused herself. 'What's happening tonight?'

'The Dark Lord…the Dark Lord…' Malfoy struggled to find the words to tell her what he had to do.

'Oh,' Hermione said, suddenly understanding. 'He wants you again?'

'Yes,' Malfoy said in frustration. 'And I can't. But I have to.'

'Have to what?' Hermione pressed him, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

'He…he…he wants me to kill.'

'No surprises there,' Hermione said sarcastically. But Malfoy ignored her.

'The camps. At the camps,' he moaned, running his hands through his hair in frustration. Hermione froze and her mouth dropped open in horror. Her ears filled with a high-pitched whining that slowly became a scream, and before her eyes the horrors of her past danced around her.

'No,' she whispered, shaking her head to rid herself of the terror. 'You can't!'

'I have to,' Malfoy said, unable to look at her. He knew what she must be thinking…he had seen it too. It was the worst place in the world and he was about to make it that much worse.

'You…you can't do this! You've seen it, you know what it's like! You know what I went through there! Don't do that to them too!' Hermione cried, stamping her foot in anger. Malfoy looked up at her in defeat.

'I have no choice,' he said tonelessly. But Hermione refused to back down as she moved forwards to poke him in the chest.

'There is always a choice! Please, Malfoy, don't do this! Don't hurt those poor girls, they've been through enough already!'

'I know,' he said quietly, unable to argue with her because he knew she was right.

'Why?' Hermione demanded. 'Why them?'

'It's…it's meant to be for fun,' the last word barely escaped Malfoy's lips as he feared her reaction to this disgusting piece of information. Hermione looked slightly green and had to take a moment before she could speak again. Her voice was heavy with determination and persuasion, but none of it would matter to him.

'Please, Malfoy. You've changed. You're different now - don't deny it! I _know _that you can't really do this!' she moved forwards and shook him fiercely as if hoping to knock the resistance out of him.

'I'm sorry,' Malfoy whispered, taking her wrists and holding them down by her sides.

'No, you're not,' Hermione said indignantly, struggling to escape his grasp. She was so disgusted with him right now she didn't want to be anywhere near him. 'You're not sorry. Why did you ask me to come here?'

'Because I needed -'

'Because you wanted to tell me about more people - people I _know _- whose lives are about to be destroyed, and I can't do anything about it?' Hermione yelled, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

'No,' Malfoy closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try and calm himself before looking back at her. 'I just…I don't know why I asked you to come! I just needed to talk about it!'

'But you were never going to change your mind, so why?' Hermione let out an involuntary sob, the tears now falling freely down her cheeks. 'You're such a bastard,' she whispered, unable to stand it any longer. Malfoy let go of her and turned away in anger - he didn't know if he was angry at himself or at her. And he didn't know what he had expected from her…but he certainly didn't want to hear about how much she hated him.

'Fine. I'm going tonight,' he said coldly. Hermione let out a small gasp and grabbed his hand, tugging on it desperately.

'If…if you don't go I'll stay with you all night,' she begged him, holding his hand up to her chest and pressing his palm against her heart. Malfoy gritted his teeth and refused to look at her as he shook his head silently.

'Please. Don't. You can have me instead,' Hermione pleaded, shaking him slightly. She placed his hand gently against her cheek and gripped him tightly by the hips, pushing herself against him.

Malfoy looked down at her in agony. Didn't she know how much he didn't want to go? Didn't she realise that he desperately wanted to take her up on her offer? But he couldn't…and he wouldn't. If he had her again it would be because she was willing, not because she wanted to sacrifice herself to stop him from killing. He would not take advantage of her.

'I…can't,' he said at last, closing his eyes to avoid looking into her despairing eyes. She was so close…he could feel the warmth of her skin through his shirt. Her fingers held onto him just as they had when he had been lying on top of her, moving against her. And her cheek was so soft…

'No,' Malfoy said, pushing her away as gently as he could. He didn't open his eyes, but he heard her as she stormed from the room. Her sobs echoed down the corridor.

--

Hermione wasn't ready to give up on Malfoy yet. She hadn't had a single sliver of power for years, and now that she had even the slightest chance of making a difference she wasn't going to lie down and let him go and murder people who - for all she knew - could be the very girls she had lived with. He could be going to kill Lavender! She knew what it was like there…she now counted herself lucky to have been chosen for slave duty. If she could do anything to protect those girls…

She couldn't let him do it. So that afternoon she wiped away the last of her tears and sat down to think up a plan. All she had to offer him was herself…so that's what she would do. Again. And again and again, if that's what it took. Merlin, she was prepared to throw herself at him if it would stop him.

It was a sign of how desperate Hermione was to make just a tiny bit of her twisted world right that she was planning to seduce Draco Malfoy. The very creator of the art of seduction himself…how would she pull it off?

_I don't know how to seduce a man, for Merlin's sake!_

Hermione knew it would be a lost cause to try and act seductively for him. Granted, she had seen it a hundred times - every girl who came near him threw herself at him! - but he would see through her in a second. And besides, she had no experience in this matter. All she knew to do was use her brain…

'Let's see…' Hermione lay back on her mattress and stared at the ceiling as she pondered over anything that could help her.

_I am Hermione Granger. I'm smart, not sexy. And I'm Draco Malfoy's slave. Draco Malfoy is smart…and sexy. He likes to order me around. So…_

Hermione sighed. She couldn't come up with anything new. There was nothing she could offer him that he couldn't just take from her. Who was she kidding? He'd already rejected her offer! There was no way he was going to change his mind.

_But I have to try._

Throwing all logical thought and strategy to the wind, Hermione got to her feet and marched out of her room, not pausing once as she made her way determinedly back up the stairs and straight to the third floor.

'Malfoy!' she yelled, banging her fist against his door. 'Malfoy, let me in!'

After several more seconds of loud banging and yelling, the doors slid open and a very surprised looking Malfoy stood in the doorway, looking down at her through wary eyes.

'Granger, what are you doin -'

Without letting him finish Hermione pushed her way into the room and strode over to the bed. She sat down on it and took a deep breath before looking at him determinedly.

'Take me,' she ordered him. 'Take me right now and all night long and I swear, I'll do anything for you. Whenever you ask. Whatever you ask.'

Malfoy didn't act as she'd hoped he would, although she had expected it. His lips pursed in an angry line, Malfoy walked over to the bed and took her by the arm, pulling her to her feet.

'Don't,' he muttered, refusing to meet her eyes. 'Don't say that.'

'Why not?' Hermione replied heatedly. 'I mean it. Anything you want.'

'I said don't say that,' Malfoy growled, beginning to drag her back towards the door. But Hermione grabbed on to one of his bedposts and refused to budge, straining against his strength.

'I'll be your slave forever and ever,' she gasped, struggling to keep her grip.

'Granger, I'm warning you,' Malfoy said angrily, prying her fingers one by one off the bedpost. As he finally loosened her grip Hermione threw her arms around his waist instead and locked her fingers together behind his back.

'And I'm warning _you, _Malfoy!' she cried, refusing to let go of him as he struggled to reach behind his back for her hands. 'If you don't throw me down onto that bed right now you're going to regret it for the rest of your life!'

As the two of them thrashed about, Hermione made a very brief mental note to work on her seduction skills. Her first attempt, and she had already resorted to begging and threatening.

'Granger - let - go - of - me!' Malfoy grunted, finally managing to get a grip on her wrist and pull her off of him. But ready for him already, Hermione changed tactics and instead reached up to undo the top button of her dress. She was already yanking open the second by the time Malfoy had figured out what she was doing.

'What - stop it!' he commanded, grabbing her hands and prying them away from her chest.

'No,' Hermione glared at him as she reached up again to continue undoing her dress.

'Stop taking your clothes off!' Malfoy roared at her, unable to stop her in her determination.

'I want to take my clothes off!' Hermione bellowed back at him, just as loud.

'Oh my,' a sniggering voice said from the doorway. Malfoy and Hermione froze in place and their heads turned as one to see Seamus leaning against the wall, watching them in amusement.

Malfoy quickly dropped his hands from Hermione's chest and walked past her to face his friend. Hermione turned away from both of them and hastily refastened the several buttons she had managed to undo, her face burning red and her heart wilting in defeat.

'Oh, don't stop on my account,' Seamus grinned, his wicked eyes fixed on Hermione. 'It sounded _so _interesting.'

'What are you doing, Finnigan?' Malfoy demanded, furious he'd come in at such a bad time.

'I should ask you the same thing, Draco. Is the mudblood getting too much for you to handle?' Seamus chuckled as he crossed the room to sit down by the window. Malfoy followed him reluctantly, casting Hermione a quick warning glance to tell her to be quiet.

'It was nothing,' he said dismissively. 'Now tell me, what are you doing?'

'Just stopped by to make sure you weren't backing out of tonight,' Seamus said easily, still glancing suspiciously between the two of them. Hermione was inching slowly towards the door, hoping to escape unscathed, but she stopped when she heard this.

'Of course I'm not,' Malfoy snorted, his eyes quickly falling on Hermione before looking away. 'Why the hell would I back out?'

'You tell me,' Seamus grinned, nodding at Hermione. Malfoy scowled at him and motioned to Hermione to leave.

'Get out,' he said bluntly, not looking around at her. Hermione did so quickly, feeling strangely calm despite what had just happened.

'I'm getting really tired of your cheek, Finnigan,' Malfoy said menacingly, looking intently at the man before him. 'Now, I said I would be there and I will. Just make sure you're taking notes,' he sneered and Seamus glowered at him.

'Fine. I'll see you later, then,' Seamus stood promptly and left without another word, leaving Malfoy angry and alone.

A few hours later, when the sun was long gone from the sky and the grounds outside his window were lost in darkness, Malfoy left the chair he'd been frozen to and walked to his cupboard. He found his least favourite black cloak and fastened it around his neck. Then he reached right to the back, into the very blackest shadows, and pulled out a mask. He stared at it for a long moment before reluctantly reaching up to put it on.

It felt cold against his skin but it matched his heart perfectly in that moment. His legs were heavy, unwilling to leave to commit the crimes which he knew he would regret. He wished he could see Hermione one more time today, and explain to her why he had to go. This was who he was, and he'd never felt the need to apologise for that before she came along. Now, the very thought of what he was about to do disgusted him.

But he was a Death Eater. The Dark Lord wanted him, and what he wanted he got. Just like Malfoy.

Except tonight Malfoy wasn't getting what he wanted. Because she was three floors below him, crying into her pillow and hating him with all the strength she could muster.

--

Hermione couldn't sleep that night. After she returned from Malfoy's room, the calmness had worn off and she'd again been overcome with the same feeling of hopelessness that seemed to never leave her these days. She had tried her best to stop him, she'd given it everything she could. Now she just had to try and tell herself that whatever happened was completely beyond her control, and not her fault. She prayed that Lavender would be safe, and that no one else would suffer for long.

She felt guilty, though. She felt responsible. It was like living at the camps all over again. You could see the horror happening, you knew it was coming…but you couldn't stop it no matter what you did.

And just when she thought Malfoy was beginning to change. She could see that he was completely lost in his world, and that something good was struggling to break free within him. But that didn't change the fact that evil had won him over, as it always did. He was a bad person, and she couldn't change that. Obviously what he had experienced the other night was a long gone memory, and the remorse he'd shown would never appear again.

_Evil, lying, cheating, dirty, cowardly bastard, _Hermione thought miserably, wiping away a solitary tear that trickled down her cheek. She had no idea how long she'd been lying awake for, but she knew it must be late. She also knew that people must be dying right this second. People she knew. People she _was. _And the worst part was that they were dying for no reason at all. Just for "fun". And to a group of defenceless, hopeless girls who they could already take everything from…It was beyond cruel.

_I'll never forgive him for this._

_He's worse than a murderer._

_He almost had me fooled…_

Hermione sat up at the sudden sound of her door creaking slowly open.

'Who's there?' she called, blinking hopelessly into the darkness. There was a very soft footstep as whoever it was stepped into the room, but no answer.

'Flopsy?' Hermione said uncertainly, getting to her feet and reaching out for him. 'Are you alright?'

The door clicked gently shut and Hermione turned her head blindly in the blackness, looking around for her intruder. If it was Flopsy he would have spoken by now.

'Who…who is it?' she said, trying to keep her voice strong. Just as she was about to retract her outstretched hand, warm and familiar fingers closed over hers and she knew instantly.

'What are you doing here?' she whispered into the heavy gloom before her. But she already knew. She already knew.

'I couldn't do it,' Malfoy answered breathlessly, holding her shaking fingers tightly and pulling her towards him. 'I couldn't do it.'

His empty hand slowly fell to his side, and the cold mask he held there fell to the floor with a dull, final thud.

And with that Hermione was in his arms, somewhere she never thought she would be again. His hands stroked her hair urgently while hers held his face tightly, refusing to loosen their grip. In that moment she couldn't remember anything else, she couldn't remember that people were still out there dying for no reason. All she could remember was that he was there with her, and he wasn't a murderer anymore. He was drowning in a sea of evil and he had finally found the surface.

'I knew you wouldn't!' Hermione gasped between urgent kisses. 'I knew you'd changed!'

She pulled him fiercely towards her bed, but Malfoy paused and moved his mouth away from hers.

'What is it?' Hermione asked in confusion, reaching for him again. Malfoy shook his head in the darkness.

'You don't have to sacrifice yourself like this, to stop me,' he said regrettably. He began to let go of her, but Hermione clung to him as if she could never dream of letting go.

'I _want_ you,' she told him aggressively, tugging him towards her. 'I _want_ you now.'

So Malfoy didn't try to stop her again. He made no protest as she pulled him down onto her tiny bed and took his lips in a violently strong kiss. His hands held her by the waist, pulling her on top of him so that she was straddling him. With their lips refusing to part, Hermione unfastened his cloak and flung it carelessly across the room. She ripped at his shirt, undoing the buttons with alarming ferocity, and Malfoy moved his arms to let her yank it away from his body.

He followed suit, impatiently ripping her nightshirt over her head and recapturing her lips instantly as soon as she was freed. Hermione moaned against his mouth as his calloused fingers trailed a delicate pattern down her spine, stopping at the waistband of her underwear. Slowly his mouth left hers as he kissed a pathway down her neck and onto her chest. Hermione arched her back to him as his hands slithered around to cup her bare breasts, and Malfoy didn't hesitate to circle his tongue around her sensitive nipple, causing it to harden beneath his tongue.

Hermione didn't want to wait any longer. She didn't want to savour the moment. She felt overcome by passion and it was agony to delay. Impatiently she reached for the buckle of his belt and ripped at it furiously until it was freed from his pants. As she moved to undo his buttons Malfoy caught scent of her haste and stopped teasing her to rest his forehead against hers, breathing heavily as he waited for her to be done.

With her fingers stumbling clumsily in their speed, Hermione finally managed to undo his pants and Malfoy raised himself off the bed to allow her to pull them off. As he kicked them away Hermione was already tearing at his boxers, desperate to be closer to him. In one swift movement Malfoy picked her up and flipped her over so that he could finish her job with ease. Hermione lay beside him, liberating herself of her own underwear, and reached for him again.

Malfoy took her by her flailing wrists and held them still against the pillow as his mouth crashed down upon hers. Hermione squirmed beneath him in her impatience, arching her back and pushing her heaving breasts against his solid chest. Malfoy groaned against her lips and buried his face in her neck, unable to obstruct her any longer. He let go of her wrists and raised himself onto his elbows as Hermione reached down to seek his manhood out. She grasped it in her hand and Malfoy heard her sharp intake of breath as she felt his incredible, solid length.

But Hermione didn't feel nervous this time. She felt nothing around her but the warm, heavy frame of the man above her, and there were no questions. No hesitations. She spread her legs beneath him and positioned him at her entrance, lying back and ready for him. Malfoy didn't take his time with her this time, entering her quickly as though he couldn't bear another second without her warm, welcoming walls around him.

Hermione cried out in pleasure as his searing length plunged into her, filling her completely and warming her to her very core. Malfoy's strong arms wrapped around her back, pulling her body even closer to his, as he thrust in and out of her at a steady, rapid rhythm. He covered her mouth with his, smothering the tiny whimpers that were escaping her throat, and as his hot tongue swirled around her mouth so did his manhood fill her, overpowering and dominating her tiny frame.

Malfoy could feel himself letting go already, and he wanted to bring her with him. He shifted his body above hers so that his length was rubbing ruthlessly against her most sensitive inner flesh, and already Hermione was moaning louder and louder with every one of his thrusts. As he felt himself coming Malfoy plunged into her unforgivably, faster and faster until Hermione was writhing beneath him and biting on her lip to keep in the scream of pure ecstasy that threatened to escape her lips.

He collapsed on top of her as they both tried to catch their breath unsuccessfully. Malfoy rested his head against her shoulder, his hair plastered down from perspiration. Hermione held onto him tightly, still not ready to let him go. As he climbed carefully off of her and lay down beside her Hermione shifted so that she was lying on her side, her face pressed into his chest.

They lay like that for an immeasurable amount of time. Malfoy was in no hurry to go back to his own bed - he wasn't even meant to be home for the rest of the night. It would be better for him to stay somewhere where they wouldn't think of looking for him. Besides that, he was extremely comfortable where he was. He hadn't fallen asleep with a woman in his arms for a long time - not counting the other night. It felt good to feel her warm, soft skin against his.

He nudged Hermione slightly to ask her if she was alright, and she let out a small sigh as her head lolled back. Malfoy smiled in the darkness, only then noticing the sound of her steady breathing. She was asleep.

Carefully, he placed his arm behind her head and closed his own eyes, listening to the soft pounding of her heart as he drifted away himself, forgetting momentarily about the horrors he had escaped. For now.

--

**Ok so I realise that I've just completely contradicted myself by saying that everyone writes stories where they have sex then fall asleep...but screw it, it was sweet! What did you all think of this chappy? I just want to say, this wasn't about Hermione being rejected AGAIN by Malfoy, it was more about her realising that she didn't want to be rejected anymore...I just wanted to say that before you all jumped on me screaming "NO MORE TEASING AHHH!!!"**

**If anyone found any of this chapter confusing let me know and I'll clear it up for you :) Now just a little bit of self-promotion because I've realised lately that some of you don't know that I have other Dramoine stories out there :O If you haven't already, go and have a look at It's Just Me and We Own The Skies...all containing amazing Dracos and all very unique. But enough about me...tell me what you thought!**

**Lots of love to all my favourite readers xxx**


	23. The Alibi

**Hello there all my beautiful readers :) For those of you who've been reading It's Just Me, you'll know that I've been busy lately because i've just started uni, so I'm sorry this update took a little while. I hope it's worth the wait. I've just rushed through the end of it so that you wouldn't have to wait any longer, so please forgive me if there's any mistakes. Now, last time we left our fav couple they had fallen asleep together. Now, what kind of wrath will Draco face for avoiding his duties? Hm... read on and find out!**

**--**

Only a handful of hours had passed since they had fallen asleep and neither showed any signs of moving as dawn rolled in. Slowly, as nightmares of screaming girls scratched at his mind, Malfoy began to stir.

The man standing in the doorway watched silently while he stifled a groan as he came into consciousness. Malfoy opened his eyes and was thankful for the lack of sunlight in the tiny prison-like bedroom. He checked the sleeping beauty beside him and carefully stole his arm out from under her neck so that he could roll over and stretch his cramped muscles.

As he pulled his feet from under the thin covers and placed them on the floor, his attention momentarily turned to the open doorway. It was empty, and no sound drifted to him from down the corridor. If he had been more awake he may have remembered that he had closed the door himself just a few hours ago. Instead Malfoy simply massaged his neck, rolling it in careful circles to ease the tension.

His face fell into his hands as the high he had experienced several hours ago faded from his system like water running through his cupped hands. He glanced over his shoulder at Hermione. All he could see of her was a mass of chestnut curls which covered her face as she dreamed on peacefully.

As he watched her sleeping figure Malfoy could not bring himself to regret the events of last night. Now, though…there would be hell to pay. Quite literally, in fact, if the Dark Lord found out that his currently most prized follower had been M.I.A. at his own "party". He had no choice but to leave Hermione in her sleep and return to the camps to cover his own tracks.

He had tried his best last night; he had arrived on time and been greeted by a large group of Death Eaters who were evidently waiting for his lead. After making a short, disturbing speech about how everybody could find their "killer instinct" locked away inside of them, he had led them on a rampage into the camps. The dark had been his friend, and his much hated mask had also helped him to quickly sneak away into the trees, unnoticed by anyone. For several minutes he had stood in the shadows, watching the chaos before him and trying to breathe evenly.

And it had really hit him in that moment that he could no more go out there and kill those innocent girls than he could spit in the Dark Lord's face. Running wildly through the trees, Malfoy had disapparated and found himself standing by the lake at Malfoy Manor. He'd headed straight for Hermione's room, and all along the way he was warmed with the thought of seeing her face light up when she realised what he had done…or, as it was, what he _hadn't _done.

Now he would have to get back there fast and join back in with the slaughtering that was undoubtedly still going. He would _not _kill. He would lie instead.

Malfoy stood and retrieved his clothes from the floor, mending the buttons on his shirt from where Hermione had ripped them off in her haste. He reluctantly refastened his cloak and retrieved his mask. Before putting it on he looked down at Hermione, who still hadn't moved, and softly went to sit beside her again.

'I have to go,' he whispered to her. 'But I promise I'll be good.'

He patted her hair gently and then stood up again. He didn't know why he had spoken to her - she was obviously dead to the world, sleeping well for probably the first time in weeks. So without wasting anymore time, Malfoy carefully replaced his mask and left the room to find a safe place to disapparate.

Several minutes later he was crouched on the edge of the forest, careful not to be seen in the increasing light as the dazzling sun began to appear in the distance. It looked like the Death Eaters had finished hunting and were now gathering to compare their number of deaths and other gruesome acts. He tried not to look at the dead bodies that lay carelessly around them, and he wondered if the lack of any females in the vicinity meant that they had run for shelter or if they'd _all _been slain.

Taking a deep breath, Malfoy rose to his feet and strode confidently out from the trees.

'Alright, game over!' he called to the Death Eaters, who looked around at him with a mixture of different expressions on their faces.

'Now let's share our victories with one another,' Malfoy said gloatingly, wrinkling his face in disgust as he stepped over a dead body. The men before him spread out in a semi-circle and watched silently as their leader approached. When Malfoy was standing before them, sneering in false triumph, he looked around at them one by one and realised that they didn't seem very happy to see him. He ripped off his mask as the rest of them did the same.

'What?' he spat at the closest man, glaring at him fiercely. He realised that it was Norfolk as he waited for his reply.

'Where have you been, Draco?' Norfolk said suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest. Several other Death Eaters nodded in agreement, while others just looked confused.

'What do you mean?' Malfoy said quickly, not sure exactly how much they knew about his absence. Had they sent somebody to look for him? Had someone managed to follow him into the forest?

'We haven't seen you all night,' Norfolk answered angrily. Nott, who was standing to his right, grunted in agreement as he looked at Malfoy mistrustingly.

'Norfolk, I'm offended that you seem to have forgotten my inspirational speech at the beginning of our little blood bath,' Malfoy said, playing dumb as he glanced around to quickly take in how many people looked angry at him.

'I meant _after _that,' Norfolk said slowly, still looking unhappy and unwilling to budge. Malfoy glowered at him as his eyes slowly rolled over everyone.

'And you all agree with him? Nobody can recall seeing me?' he asked the group at large, spreading his arms out to them in a challenging gesture. As one they either nodded their heads or shrugged, still seeming confused by the whole conversation. Malfoy noticed that Crabbe and Goyle were whispering quietly to each other, looking puzzled. He thought quickly.

'You all seem to be missing a few important facts,' he stated clearly, as if speaking to a bunch of toddlers. 'Was it not _dark _last night? And were we not all wearing _masks?_'

Norfolk looked uncomfortable as he shifted from side to side while the others mumbled, nobody willing to speak out to him. Malfoy turned his attention to his safest bet before anybody else could ruin the moment.

'Crabbe? Goyle? Can you honestly tell me that you don't remember the three of us slaughtering those two sisters like animals?' he smiled cruelly as if remembering fond memory, but inside his heart was thudding fast and painfully. He was taking a gamble here, lying openly, but he knew it must work…

'Actually…' Goyle said slowly, his eyes unfocussed as he thought hard. 'Yeah, I do remember that.'

'Same here,' Crabbe added, suddenly looking thrilled at the non-existent memory. Malfoy relaxed slightly. He knew he could count on their stupidity to save him.

'And Norfolk,' Malfoy turned back to his accuser, his lies becoming bolder as he continued. 'You seem to have forgotten our little joint efforts?'

'What are you talking about?' Norfolk said sourly. Malfoy quickly scanned the ground around him, his eyes falling onto a nearby body covered in tiny scratches. He smiled and strolled over to her casually, putting one of his shoes onto her back.

'She was fun, wasn't she?' he said to Norfolk. He looked confused for a moment, but slowly his expression cleared and he grinned back at Malfoy.

'Forgive me. I didn't recognise you in the darkness,' he pleaded. Those who stood nearest to him moved several steps away as if not wanting to be associated with the man who had challenged Draco Malfoy.

But Malfoy simply walked up to him, taking his time to deliver the message as clearly as he could. He stopped before him and held out his hand. Norfolk took it nervously and with a quick glance at his neighbours he bent down and gave his knuckle a quick kiss.

'Don't doubt me next time,' Malfoy said coldly, turning his back on them all and walking away. 'Now, if you all don't mind I'm off to bed.'

And with that he swaggered away, breathing for the first time in minutes and feeling like he had just dodged an _Avada Kedavra._

--

Hermione sighed and rolled over slowly. After a short pause, her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, looking around for the man who should have been beside her.

'Malfoy?' she called uncertainly to the empty room. He was obviously gone.

Hermione flopped back down onto the pillows, closing her eyes. She wanted to soak in the memories of last night before they were ruined by him. She could only think of one reason that he would sneak out of her bed…because he regretted what they had done. If only Hermione felt the same. But this time she knew for sure that she wouldn't take it back if she could do it all over again. The overwhelming happiness she had felt when he had chosen her over the Death Eaters still burned dully within her.

Refusing to feel sorry for herself, Hermione got up and dressed normally before heading out to the kitchens to help prepare breakfast. If Malfoy regretted last night, that was his problem. But she was going to think of it as a good memory, and she wouldn't let whatever happened next take that away from her.

When breakfast was served for the Malfoy's, she sat down with Minky and listened calmly as she told her about her dinner with Flopsy over a bowl of steaming porridge. Hermione was frustrated with herself to find that she had to work terribly hard to concentrate fully on their conversation, and it was with relief that they finally rose and prepared for their chores for the day. A group of elves were headed up to the third floor to do a big cleaning, and before Hermione knew what she was doing she was being pulled along with them.

'No, I think I'd rather stay -' she tried to tell them, but they were too delighted to have her company that they didn't hear her protests. So feeling irritated and embarrassed at the thought of Malfoy finding her here as if waiting for him, Hermione chose to scrub the floor at the opposite end of the hall to his bedroom.

Through the small, slit-like windows Hermione could see that it was well into the day before she finally rose and stretched out her arms. She was in the process of cracking her back when she felt a hand on her shoulder and her heart almost stopped as she jumped in fright.

'Sorry,' Malfoy said quickly, looking as casual as ever as he stood with his hands in his pockets. Hermione clutched at her chest, breathing heavily, as she tried to regain her composure.

'What for, exactly?' she asked coolly, turning her back on him to get back to work. Malfoy watched her silently for a moment before crouching down and pulling her to her feet, yanking the scrubbing brush from her hands in the process and throwing it back into its bucket of water.

'Don't be mad,' he said softly. Hermione stared at his chest, avoiding looking into his undoubtedly intense gaze. She shrugged indifferently and made to walk away but Malfoy held onto her, not seeming to even notice her attempt to escape from his grasp.

'You know I had to leave,' he went on. Hermione raised her eyebrows .

'Whatever,' she replied nonchalantly, struggling a little more to free her arms from his iron grip. Malfoy frowned at her, seeming confused by her behaviour.

'Come on, Granger. Don't tell me you didn't figure it out?'

'Figure what out?' Hermione said coldly. She didn't particularly care that she was being rude. Malfoy glanced behind him before leaning closer to her face to reply.

'I had to go back to the camps. They knew I'd been missing, I barely got out of there without being blasted apart.'

Hermione blinked. _Oh._ She suddenly felt very stupid. Of course that's why he'd left. Malfoy smirked at her.

'You thought I just snuck away?' he chuckled at the foolish look on her face. Hermione grimaced at him.

'Maybe,' she admitted sheepishly, feeling herself going red. She had just acted very unlike herself. She had acted like a jealous girlfriend…which, she supposed, was better than acting like a wife as she had done previously.

Malfoy observed the pinkish glow that appeared on her cheeks and couldn't help but laugh.

'If it makes you feel any better,' he offered, leaning his face so close to hers that their lips were almost touching, 'I didn't want to leave. You were so…warm.'

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat as - to her dismay - her cheeks warmed up further. She couldn't take her eyes away from his lips as they floated just centimetres away from hers. Malfoy was having a similar problem as he watched her heavily hooded eyes and her slightly parted lips. They were full and glistening from where she had run her tongue over them, and he found himself leaning towards them without having to will himself to.

He kissed her slowly and indulgently, biting into the soft flesh of her bottom lip and smothering her mouth greedily. Hermione moaned softly as his mouth dominated hers, finding herself to be suddenly weak at the knees. Malfoy's hands cupped her face, his nails digging slightly into her skin as he kissed her painfully slowly.

'I want you again. Now,' Malfoy murmured against her lips. Hermione quivered as his deep voice raised the hairs on her skin, her head already nodding in consent to him. He held so much power and authority in him, it was impossible to resist. He began to pull her along the hall in the direction of his room when Hermione paused.

'Wait - the floor -'

Malfoy let go of her and pulled out his wand - and with one wave the entire floor was sparkling clean. Hermione didn't even have the breath to ask him why he didn't just do that in the first place before he had taken her by the wrist and was dragging her towards his room. Her entire body felt as if it was dislocated from the ground as she allowed him to pull her along. They reached the doors to his room and he stood back to let her walk in first. She did so with her heart beating in anticipation against her throat and as Malfoy followed her in she backed towards the bed, waiting for him to take the lead.

Malfoy pushed her gently, his eyes alight with a fiery passion, until she fell back onto the bed. As her head hit the pillows Hermione heard the sound of crunching paper and sat up again. Malfoy watched as she reached behind her and pulled out a folded piece of parchment that had been resting against the pillow. She handed it to him silently with a sinking feeling.

Malfoy unfolded the parchment and read its contents quickly.

_Darling,_

_This morning I had a lovely visit from Seamus, who told me all about last night. Why didn't you tell me the Dark Lord had put you in charge of such a large task?! We must celebrate this evening - I've invited everybody who took part in last night for a little celebration. Do behave yourself, and make sure that Pearl can join us._

_Your Mother_

Malfoy groaned as he handed the letter to Hermione to let her read it. He sank back onto the bed and let out a sigh of defeat. Hermione quickly finished reading and bit her lip as she turned to him.

'Do you think Seamus is up to something?' she asked nervously.

''Course he is,' Malfoy growled, glaring at the ceiling. They both knew that there was no way they could get out of it - Narcissa was throwing it in his honour, and of course as his girlfriend Pearl would be expected to be there. Why would Seamus want to throw him a party, though?

Malfoy buried his face in his hands and moaned deeply.

'It won't be that bad,' Hermione said half-heartedly. He looked at her hopelessly and for a moment Hermione was startled to see that he almost looked scared.

'I knew it didn't work,' he said. 'I knew I couldn't convince them all.'

'What do you mean?' Hermione asked nervously. She wasn't used to seeing him so unsure of himself.

'They know that I wasn't there last night,' Malfoy groaned. 'Finnigan knows it.'

As he hid his face again Hermione sat there feeling out of place. She didn't feel right comforting him. It was strange to see him vulnerable in the daylight. Slowly she reached out and gently stroked his arm, pulling his hands away from his face.

'Even if he does, he can't prove anything,' she said soothingly. 'You're…you're Draco Malfoy. Your word pretty much is the bottom line.'

Malfoy smiled humourlessly. 'You'll come with me, won't you?'

Hermione smiled at him in bewilderment.

'Since when did you _ask _me if I wanted to come with you?'

'Right,' Malfoy nodded. 'You're coming with me. Or else.'

He smirked at her and she smiled back. Although he didn't seem bothered by it, she was incredibly aware that she was lying beside him on his bed. Her hand was still stroking his arm soothingly, and she couldn't help but feel the bulging muscles beneath her fingers. Malfoy was regarding her silently, when he suddenly thought of something.

'You can wear the necklace I gave you. My father will be pleased,' he scowled at the thought. Hermione let out a gasp and sat bolt upright. Malfoy followed slowly, leaning back on his elbows, as he looked at her in confusion.

'What?'

'Oh my God…I lost it!' Hermione cried, mentally slapping herself for forgetting. Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her.

'You lost it? How?'

'When…when I had lunch with your mother the other day it must have fallen off. I went back to look for it later but…that's when you were…you were…'

'Oh,' Malfoy understood that she was referring to when she had found him in his almost catatonic state by the lake. 'And you never found it?'

'Well…honestly, I completely forgot about it after that,' Hermione admitted, feeling foolish. She feared that any second Malfoy was about to start yelling at her for losing such a priceless treasure, but he did no such thing as he rose from the bed calmly. Hermione watched as he casually strolled to the windows and opened the big doors to the balcony. He stepped outside and Hermione just heard his voice as he uttered a spell.

'_Accio necklace!' _he called, aiming his wand over the side of the railing. For several seconds it was quiet, and then Hermione distinctly heard the sound of something floating through the air. And then the necklace appeared out of nowhere. Malfoy caught it in his hand and walked back over to her, holding it out triumphantly.

'Thank you,' Hermione said breathlessly, taking it from him in delight. She couldn't believe how simple it had been to find it again…of course, to someone who was no longer in possession of a wand it didn't seem like the first thing to do.

'Problem solved,' Malfoy said simply, pocketing his wand again. Hermione clutched the necklace tightly in her hand. Now that she had it again she was determined never to let it from her sight. It really was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She put it carefully into the small pocket on the front of her dress and turned back to Malfoy.

'I guess if there's going to be a party tonight I should go and help clean up,' she said regrettably. Malfoy looked at her as if she were insane and shook his head.

'What?' Hermione asked in confusion.

'Do you _like _cleaning, or something?' he said. Hermione stared at him.

'Why would you say that?'

'You're always at it. The other day it was all about the polish, then the floor, now you want to go and set up for a party?'

'Um,' Hermione now looked at him as if he were the one who was insane. 'That's kind of why I'm here, isn't it? To be a servant.'

'Well, yeah, I guess, but you don't have to volunteer.'

'I like to,' Hermione sniffed. 'Those poor elves could always do with an extra pair of hands…'

Malfoy groaned. He was having a flashback to Hogwarts and in his mind he saw Hermione marching around with a bright badge on her chest and a clipboard in her hands.

'Alright, that's enough. Fine, you can go and help them,' he looked disgusted at the idea, but evidently he wanted her to leave now before she began to rant about elf rights. 'Come back here later for the usual.'

Hermione nodded. She was rather looking forward to having a bath today, actually. She couldn't help but feel a little dirty after the sweaty night she'd had.

--

Later that day Hermione returned to Malfoy's room after a busy afternoon of food preparation and polishing cutlery - something she was an expert at now. When she arrived she was surprised to find that Malfoy wasn't there, and rather than go and look for him she wisely decided to wait in his room. Before heading to the bathroom she decided to take a minute just to sit down, so she sat in the chair at his desk and rested her elbows against the cool surface.

_So this is what it feels like to be Draco Malfoy. _Even sitting there she suddenly felt more regal and confident. She couldn't begin to imagine the power that Malfoy held, and the idea frightened her slightly. What could one person do with so much power?

_Well, I guess Voldemort is the answer to that. One person can fuck up the whole damn world, that's what. _She didn't want Malfoy to follow in his steps.

Hermione pulled herself away from her sour thoughts and came to the conclusion that she was meant to start getting ready and he would come to get her when it was time. She made her way over to the bathroom and found the tub was already full of steaming water. Stripping off, she stepped inside and sank down into the irresistible bubbles. As she lay back, unaware of anything around her, her thoughts sank into a dull stupor.

She felt all jittery inside at the idea of tonight's party. Even with the danger of the Death Eaters finding out their secret, she was strangely looking forward to spending some time with Malfoy. Although it was confusing for him to be nice to her, it would also do her self-esteem some desperately needed good. She couldn't begin to describe how relieved she was that he hadn't snuck out of her room this morning because he was ashamed. She also couldn't help looking forward to the party, because her least favourite women were indefinitely banned from the manor. If Seamus behaved himself, it looked like she could even enjoy playing her role for the evening.

The sudden sound of heavy footsteps brought Hermione out of her reverie, and she quickly climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her dripping form. After being in there for almost an hour her skin was wrinkled buttery soft. She hesitantly crept to the door to make sure that it was only Malfoy, and when she saw that he had indeed finally returned she coughed slightly to make herself known as she stood in the doorway.

Malfoy was looking surly as he stormed into the room. He nodded to her in acknowledgement as he pulled off his cloak and went straight to his cupboard without a word.

'Is something wrong?' Hermione asked, confused by his behaviour. He didn't seem to even notice that she was wet and covered only by a small white towel. Hermione didn't know what this meant to her, so she tried not to think about it as she watched his scowling face.

'I don't know,' Malfoy said, frowning as he began to search through his wardrobe for the night's attire. Hermione didn't know what to say to that - she didn't feel that she could ask him where he'd been. So she stood in silence and waited for him to continue.

At last Malfoy found what he was looking for and pulled out a dark grey suit. He threw it carelessly down onto the bed and turned to look at Hermione.

'I've been to see Finnigan,' he said, his face clouding over at even the thought of him.

'Oh,' Hermione said, biting her lip as she walked properly into the room.

'He wouldn't say a damned useful thing,' Malfoy went on angrily. 'He's insisting he just wanted to celebrate last night because it was _fun_…I don't believe him.'

'Do you…do you think he knows you weren't there?' Hermione asked anxiously. Malfoy shrugged.

'I don't know. He wasn't there himself this morning when I went back…he was here, with my mother,' he made a face of disgust. 'Ugh. Imagine if he was after my mother.'

Hermione bit down on her tongue as she averted her gaze. What Malfoy didn't know about his mother couldn't hurt him…

'If you could fool everybody else I don't see how Seamus can be a problem,' she said quickly, to change the subject. Malfoy glanced at her darkly. Seamus was anything _but _a problem, but he wasn't prepared to share some of the darker details of the traitor's life with her.

'I hope so,' he said shortly. He then turned and walked into the bathroom without another word. For a moment Hermione stared after him, unsure what to do, when he poked his head back out and looked at her impatiently.

'Why aren't you dressed?' he demanded, disappearing again.

'I just got out of the -'

'Alright, alright. Get dressed now, then!' Malfoy interrupted her explanation, calling from the next room. Hermione heard the splash of water as he hopped into the bath himself as she turned to do what he said. His orders suddenly didn't seem to bother her…on the other hand, she found it quite exhilarating to be bossed around by him. The raw power he exuded wasn't helpful to her already confused mind.

She turned in a clumsy circle, looking around hopelessly for her clothes that she knew weren't there. Hesitantly she approached his wardrobe and peeked inside. There was a lot of black, and the shapes were hard to distinguish from each other. On the far right side, however, seemed to be a tiny section dedicated to Pearl. Hermione skimmed through it slowly, impressed by the beauty of each dress. There were three black ones, a shimmery grey, a deep green and a ruby red one that Hermione paused at. She fingered the soft fabric gently between her fingers and smiled. She was definitely wearing that one.

She suddenly realised that her bra and undies were still on the floor in the bathroom, and Malfoy didn't seem in the mood to be walked in on whilst bathing. Reluctantly, she pulled the towel away from her body and stepped into the dress, feeling far too daring for her liking as she buttoned herself in. Luckily it was tight at the front, so her breasts were held firmly in place without the support of a bra. The dress continued to hug her curves as it continued down her body, and as she grazed her hands over her bottom she hoped that it wouldn't be obvious that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for Malfoy to re-emerge. After a few more minutes she heard the sound of his dull footsteps slapping across the tiles, and then there was silence again. Hesitantly, she walked over to the door to see what he was doing.

He had a towel wrapped around his waist, his blonde hair plastered to his head, and was staring blankly at himself in the mirror. Hermione watched him for a moment, standing silently by the door. He seemed to have shifted into an entirely different mood from this morning, and she didn't know how she should act around him anymore. Tentatively she approached him and stood a little way behind him, not wanting to become close enough to feel the heat radiating from his tempting body. In the mirror his eyes shifted from his own face to hers and he looked at her expectantly.

'You're going to be fine,' she reassured him, trying to feel like she meant it herself. He nodded slowly at her, as if not really paying attention, and without a word turned and walked back to the bedroom. Without seeming to think about it, he dropped his towel to the floor and began to pull his clothes from the bed. Hermione averted her eyes, unsure why she felt embarrassed to see his naked body. He dressed quickly and pulled a small silver watch from his pocket.

'Already half past…' he muttered, putting it back and looking around for his wand. Hermione was shocked to hear that it was already after eight…she could have sworn she hadn't been in the tub for that long. Her eyes followed him as he walked over to his desk and pocketed his wand. As interesting as it was to see him actually nervous about something, his obvious anxiety was getting to her, too. He turned back to her and cocked an eyebrow, though his mouth stayed in a straight line.

'Let's go,' he said resignedly, starting for the door.

'Uh…' Hermione coughed and looked pointedly at herself.

'Oh. Shit, almost forgot,' Malfoy walked back over to her and pulled out his wand. Hermione closed her eyes as he quickly performed the disguising spell on her and then before he could turn away she pointed down to her bare feet. Malfoy sighed.

'I'm not good with women's fashion. What colour would you like?' he asked her. Hermione didn't believe that this was true - if he had in fact picked all of her dresses so far himself. Shrugging, she suddenly had a wicked idea.

'How about gold?' she said innocently. Malfoy began to nod, then narrowed his eyes.

'I don't think so,' he said, eyeing the colour of her dress. He couldn't have his girlfriend walking around in Gryffindor colours. And come to think of it, he didn't remember seeing that dress before. He scowled as he took in the way it seemed to be shaped around her body, instead of the other way around. With a quick flick of his wand, a pair of tall white heels appeared suddenly on Hermione's feet.

'There,' he smirked as he began to drag her unceremoniously towards the door. He couldn't imagine white shoes being considered sexy…

Hermione didn't argue as he led her from the room. Although he probably didn't realise it, he had just conjured the most gorgeous pair of shoes. If only she had some jewellery to complete the look…

'Oh!' she gasped as she suddenly remembered. 'I forgot to bring my necklace!'

Without slowing, Malfoy reached into his pocket and pulled her very necklace from his pocket. As Hermione opened her mouth to question him, he cut her off impatiently.

'I knew you would forget, so I had Rag retrieve it for you,' he said as he handed it over. For a moment Hermione was confused as she tried to think who on Earth _Rag _was meant to be, when she remembered that it was the name the Malfoys had given to Flopsy.

'He has a real name, you know,' Hermione muttered under her breath as she fastened the necklace around her slim neck. Malfoy ignored her as they made their way down the stairs.

'Now, if Finnigan starts to get tricky I want you to cut him off - just keep interrupting. Ok?' Malfoy said darkly, cracking his knuckles menacingly. Hermione nodded silently. She didn't want to admit that she was a lot more afraid of Seamus than Malfoy was, even at this moment. She was sure that all his worrying would be for nothing, though.

As they neared the dining room Malfoy suddenly pulled her down a different corridor to the right. As they walked down the marble halls Hermione stared around in amazement. Here was yet another area of the manor which she had never seen before. She was wondering how big it really was when Malfoy stopped in front of two great big doors. He ran his fingers through his hair several times, Hermione guessed to try and calm himself down, before turning to her and holding out his hand expectantly. Hermione put her tiny hand inside his large, warm one and prepared herself for the night.

And then Malfoy pushed open the doors. Hermione already had a winning smile plastered on her face, while he had an arrogant sneer. She had to work to stop herself from gasping as she looked around the enormous ballroom. It was filled with men all dressed in dark suits, some with black robes over the top, and Hermione couldn't see a single slice of colour as she took in the sea before her.

At their appearance there was a sudden uproar, and then the two of them were being pulled into the crowd as the men began to chant and jeer joyously.

'Great night, Draco!' someone called over the dull roaring.

'Bloody good fun!' someone else yelled. Malfoy took it all in stride like a real leader as he escorted Hermione through the crowd, stopping to greet almost everyone. Hermione couldn't help but grip his hand a little tighter as the men she said hello to let their eyes travel appreciatively down her body. Malfoy seemed to become more and more annoyed as this went on, and Hermione was certain that at one point she heard him muttering angrily something about "No more red".

Before long Hermione felt slightly more at ease as she seemed to have no more requirements than to stand by Malfoy's elbow, sipping her champagne and pretending to be absorbed in his conversation. She couldn't help but listen in to the sound of his deep voice, and as such she managed to catch unpleasant snippets of conversation.

'I held her down by the neck and made her cry for hours,' Nott was saying viciously. Hermione tried not to listen, feeling sick, but it was hard.

'Glad you enjoyed yourself so much. Next time, I'll show you how to _really_ make her scream,' Malfoy replied easily, sharing with him a malicious grin. Hermione resisted the urge to strike him, reminding herself that it was just an act but at the same time wishing he wasn't so convincing at it. After this particularly nasty vein of conversation continued onto the next man Hermione looked around for Narcissa. It wasn't hard to spot her blonde head in the sea of men, and squeezing Malfoy's hand quickly to let him know she was leaving, she quietly excused herself and headed towards the older woman.

'Pearl, darling, you look stunning,' Narcissa cooed when she saw her, kissing her on each cheek.

'As do you,' Hermione replied politely. Narcissa was wearing black like everybody else, but the lacy fabric revealed her pale skin in strategic places up and down her sides.

'Did Draco tell _you _that he had been put in charge of this mission?' Narcissa asked suddenly, looking surly.

'Uh…no, he didn't mention it at all,' Hermione said quickly, looking equally as peeved. Narcissa seemed to lighten up a little at this, and took Hermione by the arm over to a bench in the corner. They sat together and Hermione felt a little more relaxed in the sea of enemies.

'It's wonderful, isn't it? The Dark Lord could really be no happier with us at the moment,' she continued. Hermione wasn't sure what to say to this so she simply nodded along and fiddled with her necklace. As it sparkled under the chandelier's glow Narcissa turned her head to it and let out another cry of delight.

'Oh, you're wearing that beautiful necklace again! Do wait here a moment, I must show it to Lucius.'

And with that Narcissa rose to her feet and hurried off in search of her husband. Hermione stared after her anxiously, not happy to be left alone - particularly when old Norfolk was eyeing her from not too far away. Thankfully Narcissa reappeared quickly with Lucius striding behind her regally.

'Look, dear,' she said, pointing at Hermione's chest. Lucius's eyes lit up and he smiled at her as he bent in to inspect it closer.

'I see Draco did not disappoint. It suits you well,' he nodded approvingly.

'Thank you, he chose it because it matches my eyes,' Hermione said absentmindedly, still glancing nervously at Norfolk. For a moment Lucius stared at her, and the very intensity of his gaze made Hermione's head snap around to look at him. He looked strange, suspicious almost…then he was smiling again.

'Forgive me for seeming rude, but I must talk to that man over there,' he said, bowing slightly to her. Hermione smiled back, glad to see him leaving, and looked around to see that Narcissa had drifted away into the crowd. Looking around, Hermione spotted her talking to Zabini. Her lips were barely moving, but the way she was all-too-casually glancing around told Hermione that she didn't want to be seen talking to him. Still looking around, Hermoine's eyes locked onto a chillingly familiar pair of icy greys, and she smiled.

From across the room Malfoy motioned for her to come over, and she obliged. When she reached him, it felt almost like relief as his arm wrapped around her.

'Where have you been?' he whispered into her ear. The bass in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

'Talking to your parents,' she replied. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

'By choice? Surely not.'

'I don't mind your mother, actually. Your father, on the other hand….'

'You don't need to tell me,' Malfoy muttered darkly, glaring at his father who appeared to be sneaking out of the room with a grey-haired man. 'Probably going off on another job already. The Dark Lord could be worshipping _us _and he'd still not think us good enough.'

Hermione was barely listening, as she had just noticed Narcissa and Blaise sneaking out in the opposite direction to Lucius. Malfoy didn't notice this, however, and began to lead her towards a particularly angry looking man.

'Dodger, haven't seen you for a while. Business been good?' Malfoy asked airily, shaking hands with him. The man's eyes glanced quickly at Hermione and then back to Malfoy, and his eyes narrowed.

'Terrible, actually. I've been trying to contact you, and you haven't replied to my last three owls,' Dodger said haughtily, glaring accusingly at Malfoy. Malfoy didn't appear at all abashed by his offensive tone as he replied.

'I haven't received any owls from you, Dodger. And if it was so urgent why didn't you speak to me about this yesterday?'

'Funny, Draco…I don't recall seeing you yesterday,' Dodger refused to be calmed as he went on suspiciously. Malfoy sighed, still appearing calm, but Hermione felt his fingers dig a little harder into her side.

'Were you not there this morning? Have I not already defended myself on this matter?'

'Oh, I was there, Draco…but I don't believe it. You should have been in plain sight, and I didn't see you once.'

Hermione suddenly noticed that a small crowd had gathered around them, all listening intently. She felt nervous as she took in their expressions of interest. She had been hoping this wouldn't happen.

'If my word is good enough for everyone else, why not you?' Malfoy demanded, his cold voice cutting through the crowded room.

'Yes, indeed?' the reply came from within the mass of black, and as Hermione watched with a sinking heart Seamus appeared by her side. He gave her a winning smile, yet his cold eyes clearly said something else. Malfoy glared at him, but forced himself forwards to shake his friend's hand.

'Finnigan, there you are! About time you came to pay your respects, considering you called this party in my manor yourself!'

Seamus smiled a wolfish smile that made Malfoy's false smile falter slightly on his face.

'Forgive me, Draco. I paid an early visit to you, but I couldn't seem to _find _you…'

His eyes turned quickly to Hermione and back to Malfoy, but neither of them missed it. He knew.

'You imbecile, I was at the camps. Where you _should _have been, instead of paying my mother a visit and begging her for a party.'

'Someone had to reward you for _what you've been doing lately_,' Seamus leered at the pair of them. Glancing around, Hermione saw that several people seemed confused by the turn of the conversation, while others looked suspicious.

'Well, I didn't mean to interrupt the conversation. You were saying?' Seamus innocently turned to Dodger, who looked irritated at being cut off.

'He was saying nothing,' Malfoy interrupted coldly before he could open his mouth.

'How is it that nobody knows where you were this morning, Draco?' Dodger demanded, looking between him and Seamus angrily. For a moment Malfoy didn't seem to know what to say, but before he had the chance to reply Seamus let out a breezy laugh.

'_I _know where he was this morning,' he said lazily, winking at Malfoy. As Hermione stared at him, begging him with her eyes not to say another word, and Malfoy gripped his wand tightly in his other pocket, Seamus went on in a pleasant tone.

'He was with me.'

Hermione blinked. Malfoy reeled. Dodger looked confused.

'But you just said you couldn't find him,' he said impatiently, looking furious. Seamus laughed again, a cold sound.

'I was merely talking in code, Dodger. Something a low life like you would never understand. Those of us who are blessed enough to be close to the Dark Lord have many secrets. Do we not have _secrets_, Draco?'

Malfoy stared at Seamus as if he had gone insane, and Hermione pinched him quickly to make him reply.

'Oh, yes. Yes, Dodger, Finnigan and I may discuss many things that none of you would ever understand. Now, do you all finally understand my whereabouts this morning?'

There was a murmuring around the crowd as everybody nodded in consent and quickly turned to continue their own private conversations. Dodger gave Malfoy and Seamus one last dirty look before disappearing, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

Malfoy turned to Seamus angrily. 'What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at?' he spat angrily. Seamus raised an eyebrow, looking mildly confused.

'I don't know what you mean, Draco. Were you not with me this morning?' he asked innocently. And before either of them could reply, he sauntered away, grinning at them over his shoulder. For a moment Malfoy stood glaring at him, and then abruptly pulled Hermione through the crowd towards the door.

'Where are we going?' Hermione asked meekly as he pulled her forcefully out of the room and down the hallway.

'_You're _going to bed. This night's getting too tricky to handle with having to look out for you as well.'

'Oh.'

Hermione didn't complain or protest, Malfoy's mood seemed so foul. He stopped at the end of the corridor and looked around as he pulled out his wand. He was about to cast the spell to undisguise her he noticed Zabini walking towards them.

'Draco, not leaving are you?' he asked jovially, thumping him on the back as he reached them.

'Oh, no, certainly not. Pearl isn't feeling well, so I was just bidding her goodnight. I'll catch up with you in a moment.'

Grinning, Blaise walked back in the direction of the ballroom and Malfoy waited until he was out of sight before turning back to Hermione. He used his wand wordlessly, and Hermione felt a slight tingling as she turned back to herself.

'Go straight to your room,' Malfoy ordered her, already turning to walk back to the party. Hermione nodded dumbly after him before slowly starting to walk herself. She was relieved to be leaving that particular party - it had certainly took an unpleasant turn, as seemed to always happen when Seamus arrived.

As she reflected over how close Malfoy had just come to being caught out, and how lucky he was to have escaped through it again with barely feasible lies, she didn't realise she wasn't alone until she nearly walked straight into somebody.

Freezing, Hermione looked up, her eyes travelling over black lace, and found herself face to face with Narcissa.

'Pearl…?' Narcissa said in confusion, taking in the clothes that Hermione was wearing. As her eyes came to settle on the necklace dangling from her neck, her eyes bulged out of her head.

'The mudblood? Draco's slave? _Pearl?!'_

Hermione was speechless.

--

**Well! I hope you enjoyed that, it was fun to write...AT LAST the secret's out!!!!!! Uh oh...**

**I hope nobody's disappointed that Voldy didn't make an appearance this chapter to punish Draco, there's a reason he hasn't been around this story yet. Part of it is because if he comes to the manor he would sniff out Hermione in an instant, and that can't happen yet or they're both dead!**

**Anyway, please review and I'll try and get back to you. Love you all my wonderful reviewers xxxxx**


	24. The Friends No More

**Well, helloo everyone...it's been a big, big while. I know a lot of you were quite upset - and at times scarily so - that I didn't update for a long time, but don't worry - I wasn't abandoning my stories. Life has been very hectic this year and none of you want to hear me moan about it so that's all I'll say. I'm sorry though - none of my favourite stories have been updated all year I think and I know it's annoying. But hopefully now that I've written this chapter it'll keep flowing. I found it a bit hard to write this one because it had been such a big gap and I couldn't quite remember what I wanted to do with this chapter, but I hope that it's to your satisfaction and that you're still excited about where this story is going because I promise you that it is going in strange but exciting places.**

**I won't keep you waiting a second longer...**

**--**

'_What in Merlin's name is going on here?!'_

Hermione continued to stare blankly as Narcissa began to flap her arms about in barely poorly concealed rage. She could see her preparing to open her mouth and scream to the ceiling, so she rushed forwards and reached out to grip her wrist.

'Narcissa, wait -'

'Don't touch me! Mudblood!' Narcissa screeched, wrenching her arm out of Hermione's grasp in disgust.

'Alright, I'm sorry -' Hermione tried to calm her down as she backed away slowly but Narcissa was having none of it.

'I _knew _there was something funny about you! I _knew _I hadn't heard of your family! I _knew _Draco was up to something!'

'Please be quiet, Narcissa,' Hermione begged, looking behind her in agitation. So far nobody seemed to be rushing towards them but it was only a matter of time before they heard Narcissa's screams.

'How _dare _you call me by my name? You filthy Mudblood, you should be dead! And there you are, not even bowing before me, wearing a dress more beautiful than my own and -'

Narcissa halted mid-sentence as her eyes bulged out of her head, her face becoming even redder as she appeared unable to translate her fury into words any longer. Instead she pointed one shaking finger at Hermione's chest, and looking down Hermione saw the cause for her new-found rage: the necklace. She scrambled to unclasp it as she sank half-way to her knees in a barely recognisable bow.

'I'm sorry, Mistress, Your Greatness, but can we please move before someone -'

'Do not speak to me!' Narcissa interrupted her in a deadly whisper, having finally calmed down enough for words. 'And give me that now -'

With one mighty pull she had reached forwards and ripped off the necklace that Hermione was still struggling to take off. It fell to the floor in a mighty thud and Hermione bit her lip to stop from crying out - the violent motion had cut through the delicate skin on the back of her neck. She was now facing a difficult position; she couldn't risk angering Narcissa any further by speaking, but she _had _to convince her to let her argue her case before somebody found them.

'Get up,' Narcissa spat, wrenching at her hair and pulling her to her feet. She began to drag her back down the hall in the direction of the ballroom and Hermione searched frantically for anything that could save her. It was hard to believe that this woman, who had somehow become her friend, could turn on her so viciously and mercilessly. Reasoning and pleading wouldn't work here.

But something else might…

Using all the strength she could muster, Hermione reached up and grabbed Narcissa by the wrists, squeezing until she was forced to let go of her hair. Still refusing to let go, both women were now locked in a furious grip, each trying to pull the other in a different direction down the hall.

'Insolent!' Narcissa screamed, her wild face showing no signs of their former friendship. 'Lucius!' she cried, but it came out as a small squeak as she struggled to regain her grip from Hermione. Just as she opened her mouth to try again, Hermione let go of one of her wrists and rammed her fist straight between the older woman's teeth.

Narcissa's eyes widened as she half-choked, half-mumbled against Hermione's hand.

'Call your husband if you want,' she said as calmly as she could, refusing to lower her steady gaze from her former friend's face. 'We'll see which of us he's madder with.'

Her angry murmurs stopped as Narcissa stared at Hermione as if she were insane. Slowly, very slowly, Hermione lowered her fist and let her words sink in.

'What are you talking about, Mudblood? Lucius won't be mad with me at all,' Narcissa said scornfully, glaring at Hermione with a vicious sense of bewilderment. Trying to stay calm, Hermione slowly began to smile.

_Nice and slowly, now, that's it. Calm and confident. Just how they do it. This is how bad people do it. Just stay in control._

'So you wouldn't mind, then, if I told him about Blaise?' she said sweetly. And she got the exact reaction she was hoping for: Narcissa's jaw dropped and her eyes bulged more than ever as her strength seemed to suddenly vanish. Hermione let go of her and stepped back, knowing that the situation was at last under control.

'How do you know about us?' Narcissa whispered, not even pretending to deny it. The anger seemed to be gone from her voice and she seemed much more nervous as she glanced around to make sure they were still alone.

'I've known the whole time I've been here,' Hermione answered, seeing no harm in telling her this. 'But what I _really _want to know is, what would Lucius think?'

Narcissa didn't reply and she didn't need to. Both women knew that he would have her worse than dead within the hour if he found out. In this silence Hermione had a moment to feel ashamed of what she was doing, stooping to the enemy's level. This was the kind of thing bad people did, and she took no pleasure in holding this power over Narcissa. Perhaps if it had been someone else. But as much as she hated to admit it, she had come to regard the older woman as something like a friend - or at least, the closest thing to a friend she was ever going to have for the rest of her life.

Slowly, Narcissa regained her composure and straightened to her full height. She surveyed Hermione coldly for a moment before finally opening her mouth.

'Go to your room before somebody sees you,' she said coolly. But Hermione wanted to make sure before she left.

'Do you swear that you won't tell your husband, or anybody else, that I'm Pearl?' she asked slowly and deliberately. 'Because if you do, I _will _tell him your secret.'

Narcissa glared at her. It didn't mean much to make a promise to someone in the muggle world, but in the wizarding world it was a little more dangerous to go back on your word. She had no doubt that the girl wouldn't do just what she was threatening if she ran to Lucius. So, she agreed.

'I swear,' she said sourly. Hermione let out a long breath which she had been holding and smiled.

'I knew I could count on you to come through for me. I knew you were a true _friend_,' she said spitefully, hoping her words meant something to Narcissa. The blonde woman raised and eyebrow and without another word stalked past Hermione - undoubtedly in too bad a mood to return to the party. Once she had fallen out of sight and hearing, Hermione made her way back down to her bedroom as she had been directed. Her palms were still sweaty and her heart hadn't yet managed to calm itself. When she reached the kitchens she found them deserted - the elves must either be upstairs serving food or already in their own beds. So Hermione continued on uninterrupted to her room and sat down on the bed, peeling off her shoes with a feeling of hopelessness.

Now Narcissa knew the secret. Hermione had only just managed to keep her from ruining everything, and she wasn't sure if she could put all her trust into believing that Narcissa wouldn't blow her cover. If she really wanted to, surely she would find a sneaky way to make sure that somebody else claimed to uncover Pearl's true identity, and then it would be too late for Hermione to do much about it. Even if she was discovered, she didn't much relish the idea of announcing Narcissa's own secret in revenge - it just wasn't the kind of thing that she would do. It amazed Hermione that after all she had been through, she could still find a sliver of goodness within her. But that's what made her who she was, that's why she had survived.

She would just have to hope that Narcissa was too scared about what Hermione knew to do anything about it. At least, until Hermione could come up with a new plan. Surely Malfoy would be able to think of something…

But as this thought occurred to her Hermione felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She had only just realised - when she told Malfoy that his mother had discovered their secret the first thing he would want to know is how she had stopped her from running to tell everyone else. And Malfoy didn't know about Narcissa and Blaise. And - the thought rocked her to her very core - she couldn't bear the thought of revealing the true ugliness of his mother to him. Not to mention the betrayal of one of his closest, oldest friends. Lucius was a different matter - Draco already hated him in every respect and couldn't care less about what he got up to. But Hermione felt certain that he had a great deal of love and respect for his mother, and the thought of taking that away from him scared Hermione. It could, quite possibly, destroy him. Undo all of the changes she had so strangely brought about in him. She couldn't do that to him; it would be like reeling in a fish, and on the verge of releasing it back into the water, suddenly deciding to whack its head on the floor instead.

So what to do then? Hermione thought miserably of her limited options and came up with the only solution she could handle. She would keep it to herself, not tell Malfoy a thing, and if possible keep an eye on Narcissa just in case she got any ideas. But what if Narcissa went to confront Malfoy? It wasn't easy to figure out that it was all his idea. This was nothing that a Mudblood slave could - or would - ever pull of on their own.

Now with her problems doubled, Hermione lay back and tried to close her mind for sleep to take her. She was unsuccessful.

--

Meanwhile, Malfoy was still stuck at his own party, completely unaware of the fact that outside this room something drastic had just happened. He looked grim as he scanned the crowd. There was only one person he wanted to talk to right now.

As usual, this person just happened to stroll up behind him at that very moment, his incredibly annoying habit of popping out of nowhere showing itself again.

'Having fun, Draco?' Seamus asked as he rested his elbow casually on Malfoy's shoulder, his voice barely able to conceal the maniacal laughter that was almost bursting from him. Fiercely, Malfoy pulled his shoulder out from beneath him and quickly glanced around to make sure nobody was paying them any attention.

'What do you want, Finnigan?' he spat furiously, his wand hand clenching into a fist as he struggled to control the urge to punch Seamus's sneering face.

'Nothing, Draco, but your wonderful company,' Seamus replied airily, stretching out his arms before him as if to waft Malfoy's scent towards himself. Malfoy snarled and moved closer so that their faces were inches apart.

'Quit it, Finnigan. All your little games…it's over,' he said forcefully. But Seamus merely laughed softly and took a step back.

'Very well, Draco. Would you like me to announce it to everybody, then?' he asked pleasantly. Malfoy narrowed his eyes.

'What are you talking about?'

'Well, you said the game was over. So does that mean you want me to admit to everyone where you really were this morning?'

Malfoy ground his teeth together painfully.

'I was at those filthy camps, where I was supposed to be,' he said jerkily, his eyes glancing around again to make sure they were still having a private conversation. Seamus smiled.

'Now, Draco, you said you wanted to stop playing games. If that's what you want -' he made as if to turn away and shout to the room, but Malfoy grabbed him by the arm and dragged him several paces further away from the crowded dance floor.

'Alright, _alright!_ If you're so fucking clever then, you tell me where I was,' he said through gritted teeth, still keeping his hand wrapped tightly around Seamus's wrist to make sure he stayed in his place.

'Ah, but please don't make me say it,' Seamus said, closing his eyes in mock sorrow. 'It's just so horrible to even think about, so shameful, so dirty…'

Malfoy glared at him, unsure what to do next. Seamus knew where he had been, that was certain. How, he wasn't sure. Had he followed him home, and then down to the girl's room? It seemed like it.

'…I don't know what Lucius would do if he found out. The shame might kill him alone,' Seamus was now saying. Malfoy snapped himself away from his thoughts and let go of Seamus as if he had burned him.

'I'll ask you just once more,' he said quietly, 'what do you want?'

Seamus appeared to take his time before he answered, brushing off his robes unnecessarily and smiling calmly as if he didn't have a care in the world. Finally, he looked back to Malfoy.

'What makes you think I want anything from you, Draco? You're my friend, and friends look after each other.'

Malfoy stared at him.

'That's the biggest bullshit I've ever heard,' he said, rather more loudly than he meant to. A few people looked around at him, but after he glared at them furiously they quickly scarpered away.

'Honestly, you make me sound as if I'm horrible, as if I were a Death Eater or something,' Seamus pouted, pretending to be mortally offended, then let out a harsh laugh at his own joke. Disgusted, not wanting to play along with him any longer, Malfoy turned and stormed away with his cruel laughter ringing in his ears.

If there was one thing in the world that he was certain about - even more than the fact that the Dark Lord hated muggles and his father loved to torture and Hermione had the kindest soul he had ever known - it was that Seamus Finnigan didn't want nothing from him.

--

The morning following the celebrations was unusually foul inside the manor. Strangely enough, Lucius was the only human occupant who seemed to be cheerful at all, and he was quick to leave upon discovering his wife's oddly bad temper. Before he left, though, he paid a visit to his son and was also puzzled to find him in just as bad a mood. After reminding him how deeply the Dark Lord was sure to admire him after his latest mission, he left the house for a spot of muggle torture. It seemed that his departure triggered some kind of silent alarm, because suddenly the other occupants of the house were moving about with such a determination that it was almost scary.

Malfoy wanted to speak to Hermione, to inform her of his conversation with Seamus and see if she had any advice, and preferably as angrily as possible so that she would attempt to calm him down by stroking him on the cheek. Narcissa wanted to speak to her son, because after a sleepless night of planning she wanted to question him as thoroughly as possible on "Pearl" to try and catch him out at his own lies, in the hope that Malfoy would kill Hermione as soon as he realised that she knew their secret, and save her from having to tell Lucius anything. And Hermione wanted to find Narcissa, to remind her of the threats she had used last night and head her off before she attempted anything foolish in the hopes of catching her out. All in all, it was rather confusing.

Malfoy summoned Hermione to his room as soon as he heard his father leave, but he grew impatient so quickly that he went down to her rooms to get her instead. He had just missed her, however, because only moments ago she had scampered away from the sound of her ringing bell and hurried out into the gardens to search for Narcissa. Little did she know that Narcissa was at that very moment pounding on Draco's bedroom door, demanding to know why he wouldn't let her in. This mess continued for some time, with everybody just missing each other as they managed to slowly make their way through the entire house, until finally Lucius returned home and they all returned immediately to their rooms.

It was late afternoon when Malfoy finally managed to catch up with Hermione, who had decided she would rather hide out in her room than risk coming across Lucius, who still miraculously had no idea that she was a slave in his home.

'Granger,' Malfoy began as soon as he rounded the corner into her room. She looked up wearily from the floor, which she had been staring quite aimlessly at. She wasn't particularly surprised to see him, but this didn't lessen the fear she felt at his presence. She felt certain that the longer he remained, the harder it would be for her to hold in the secret that Narcissa now knew.

'I need your help,' Malfoy said begrudgingly, closing the door behind him and conjuring a chair out of midair with his wand. Hermione's eyes lingered longingly at the place where it had appeared for a little longer than was necessary. It felt as though it had been years since she had seen even just a little piece of magic.

'What's wrong?' she asked, frowning, as she turned her attention to Malfoy. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees, leaning towards her with a worrisome expression on his face.

'Finnigan,' Malfoy replied simply. 'He knows about…well, you know,' he finished uncomfortably. He didn't want to say "us" because he wasn't quite sure what "us" meant. 'But there's no doubt that he knows.'

'Did he make himself even more painfully clear to you after I left, then?' Hermione asked, sighing. It had already seemed quite obvious to her that Seamus knew what they were up to. She just wondered what he made of it, and then maybe he could fill her in too.

'Yes, he did. And I asked him what he wanted, and he claims that he doesn't want anything. That's what worries me. He's up to something, I know it.'

If he had meant for Hermione to react to this he was disappointed, because all Hermione could seem to spare for these sentiments was another sigh.

'Well, we always knew he was bad news, didn't we? I could tell he was the most evil, vile little rodent in the room as soon as I first saw him here. You remember, how you re-introduced us?'

Malfoy scowled. 'Why are you reminding me of this now?'

Hermione didn't answer, but merely shrugged vaguely. She was trying very hard not to open her mouth and blab about Narcissa. Malfoy frowned at her.

'What's with you, Granger. You're weirder than normal.' Hermione scoffed indignantly.

'Weird, am I?'

'Well, not so much weird. But you look a bit…' Malfoy thought around for the right word. '…Pansy-ish. You know. Stupid.'

Hermione glared at him for a moment, but then conceded and merely shrugged again. She no doubt looked "Pansy-ish" because her thoughts were a million miles away.

'So?' Malfoy pressed on, looking at her closely.

'So what?'

'So what's with you?' Malfoy said slowly, as though he was talking to a troll, or Pansy herself.

Hermione considered him for a moment. She wanted to tell him what had happened so badly. He would surely want to do something about it, rather than lie back and hope that Narcissa acted favourably. She wanted to tell him just so that he could worry on her behalf, and give her the chance to calm down about it - something she was yet to do. She seemed to find it much easier to be calm when Malfoy was the one who was ranting and raving. She was on the verge of opening her mouth to tell him, when she stopped herself.

She couldn't bear to see the look on his face when she told him his mother's secret. And as this thought occurred to her, her face softened so quickly that Malfoy looked suddenly alarmed. He sat up straight and surveyed her expression with increasing suspicion.

'Did you swallow something you shouldn't have today, Granger?' he asked, looking carefully into her eyes to see if they were out of focus. But Hermione shook her head and smiled slightly.

'No, you idiot,' she said, unable to keep in a little laugh at the scared look on his face.

'Then what's with your face?' he asked, still suspicious. 'Are you enchanted or something?'

'Hasn't anyone ever looked at you like this before?' Hermione responded, her voice mild with curiosity but also something remarkably like pity. Malfoy's frown deepened.

'Like what?' he demanded, leaning back towards her.

'Like…' Hermione sighed again. _Like they care. _'Never mind.'

The moment of affection she had strangely felt for him was over as she rolled her eyes in exasperation as he now looked at her with mistrust and confusion. She begrudged her brain for whispering to her how adorable he had looked as he demanded the answer from her.

'Back to Seamus,' she said quickly, to distract him and herself. Malfoy nodded slowly, and seeming satisfied that she was back to normal, went back to their conversation as if there had been no interruption.

'Yes. I know he's up to something -'

'So you've said a thousand times -'

'- and we need to figure out what it is before he ruins us all.'

'Ok. So what are the facts so far? Firstly, he came to tell you that Voldemort -'

'_Don't speak his name!_'

'What do you want me to call him? It's his name, isn't it?' Hermione said irritably. Malfoy scowled at her.

'Fine, your "Dark Lord",' Hermione went on, her voice dripping with sarcasm, 'had given you a mission at the camps. So then you went to this mission, and…snuck away to…yes, well. Anyway. Then, what?'

'He saw us,' Malfoy said straight away. 'He must have followed me, or he already suspected, and he must have seen me down here.'

'Right,' Hermione nodded, trying not to imagine Seamus standing over her while she was asleep. 'And then…'

'He went up to my mother, and insisted that she threw a party for me. Which was just an excuse for him to make me sweat in front of everyone. Mission accomplished,' he finished sourly.

'Ok, that all sounds right so far,' Hermione said slowly. 'But…but Malfoy, if he was really trying to _destroy_ you, as you so dramatically think he is, he just missed his perfect opportunity, didn't he?'

Malfoy stared at her incredulously. 'What?'

'Well, think about it. He had you right where he wanted you, he could have told everyone in that room exactly where you were and what you were doing…and he didn't.'

'Yeah, because no one would have believed him!' Malfoy said angrily, frustrated that she wasn't as worked up as he was about it.

'I don't know about that,' Hermione frowned as she wrinkled her forehead in thought. 'There were certainly a lot of people who looked interested to know where you had been. And that guy, Dodger, I'm sure _he _would have believed Seamus in a heartbeat. No offence, Malfoy, but there do seem to be an awful lot of people just waiting in the wings for you to make a mistake so they can sell you out to their precious _Lord_.'

'You've only just noticed?' Malfoy replied scathingly, his voice oozing bitterness. 'Lucky you.'

'Well, yes - anyway. Why would Seamus have kept our secret when he had the best chance he could have ever possibly imagined to ruin your reputation in front of everyone?'

'So he could blackmail me, of course!' Malfoy roared impatiently, thudding his fist down on his knee in agitation. 'Merlin, where have your brains gone, woman?'

Hermione ignored his insults and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, waiting for some of the furious red in his cheeks to diminish before she replied.

'Say you were right -'

'I _am _right!' Malfoy interrupted loudly. She went on as if she hadn't heard him.

'Say you were right and he _was _planning to blackmail you. What could he ask for that he can't already have? And that only _you _can give him?'

They sat in silence for a few minutes while each of them contemplated things that Seamus could possibly ask Malfoy for. Hermione, not privy to all of the secrets of the manor or its inhabitants, couldn't think of anything except for Malfoy's glorious vault. Could Seamus be just another common criminal, after nothing but money and jewels? It didn't seem likely.

Malfoy had already considered this and come to the same conclusion. He had a few more ideas, but none seemed likely enough that he felt he should share them out loud with Hermione. He thought long and hard…and came up with three possible answers.

'I have a few ideas, but that's all they are,' he admitted at last, breaking the chilling silence. Hermione looked at him expectantly so he went on. 'He could want me to put in a good word for him with the Dark Lord. But this isn't very likely, because he's already on pretty good terms with him anyway - they share such a likeness for misery.' He scowled for a moment before continuing.

'Second, he could just be trying to stay on my very _very _good side so that he can come around whenever he wants. You wouldn't know, of course -' here he threw Hermione a look of superiority '- but this manor hides many things that could be of great value to him.'

'What kinds of things?' Hermione wondered aloud. Malfoy chose not to answer her.

'And lastly - and this seems like the most obvious answer - he knows now that I owe him. That he could ask me to do almost anything for him and I'll do it to keep him quiet. He could be planning some kind of mission, and he'll ask me to…I don't know, tag along with him, and he'll…he'll…'

Malfoy trailed off at a loss for words. He had really just been ranting by the end, because he had no idea what Seamus might ask him to do. He had already done everything you could possibly imagine; what else was there? Unless…unless he was going to make him do it all again, knowing that it was different now. Because of-

'You,' Malfoy breathed, staring at the girl before him. Hermione had been watching him closely as he speculated his three ideas, and now looked startled as he suddenly looked up at her.

'Me what?' she asked in bewilderment. Malfoy didn't answer, but kept looking and thinking hard.

Seamus knew about him and the girl - he still couldn't bring himself to call her anything more affectionate in the same sentence as himself. Seamus knew that he had ran away from his duties for her - he had even walked in on her begging him not to go. Is this what his plan was? To force him to commit an act so terrible that Hermione would hate him all over again, and he would hate himself as well? And then he would become the man he had been before her arrival, cold and murderous once more. And they would go back to the way _they _had been as well: best friends, doing dark deeds together every other day.

Yes. That had to be it. Malfoy let out a long sigh and smiled. So, that was his game. To force him to ruin everything he had become lately, to ruin the girl all over again. Well, he wouldn't do it. Finnigan could try his best, but Malfoy was on to him now and Malfoy was never beaten at anything. He felt himself firing up, feel adrenaline pouring in to his system as he charged himself up as though he was only seconds away from a fight already.

'Malfoy?' Hermione asked in concern, watching this complete change in expression in confusion.

'Ah…I think I've got him,' Malfoy said more to himself than her, and without another word he got up and strolled out of the room. At the door he paused, though, and walked back over to her and pulled Hermione to her feet so fast she didn't even realise what was going on until his mouth had already come crashing down on her own. He held her there in a fierce, brutal kiss for just a moment and then almost dropped her as he turned and left once more. Hermione watched him go in a complete daze, feeling her bruised lips with one delicate finger.

Strange. Boys were _strange._

--

It was several more days before anything eventful happened once more in the Malfoy Manor. Hermione had gone about her business as usual, only slightly less invigorated due to the double weights of worrying about Narcissa and pondering over Malfoy's strange behaviour. She hadn't seen him since he had stormed from her room except from a distance. She had been washing windows on the second floor balcony when she had seen him strolling down the driveway and away into the afternoon sun. He had looked purposeful and strong once more, and it seemed that whatever he had figured out, he was no longer afraid of Seamus.

Hermione wondered if he was mad at her for not taking his idea that Seamus was blackmailing him seriously, and she had a small amount of time to reflect sadly that all of her good encounters with Malfoy seemed to be followed with some kind of monstrous diversion that stopped them from being together. She wondered if that's really what she wanted - to be with him. The thought seemed incredulous. She supposed she just felt lonely now that she didn't even have Narcissa as a friend, and was just longing for his company because she secretly wished to tell him what had happened after the party. But at the same time she couldn't ignore the fact that she now quite regularly found her thoughts wondering away to images of that night in her room, which now felt like a hundred years ago. She couldn't stop thinking about the way he had touched her, kept her warm, made her feel so incredible. But she pushed these thoughts aside for now. There were more important things to worry about.

And these things became painfully clear that very night. It had been almost a week since the party and Hermione had just started to calm down over her problems with Narcissa; she figured if the older woman had been planning some kind of trick or trap she would have acted by now. This was her mistake.

When her bells rang at around dinner time, she didn't think it unusual in the slightest.

_I suppose Malfoy wants me to bring him his dinner, _she thought carelessly. She didn't mind doing this; she quite liked the idea of seeing him up close for the first time in days. And he usually ate alone these days in the second dining room - only a smidgeon smaller than the main dining room but just as grand. So she carefully balanced his plate of steak and potatoes in her hands as she climbed the stairs to the main house and made her way towards the room where she supposed her would be. It was upon entering the room that she immediately realised her mistake, and with a deafening crash the plate of food in her hands went crashing to the floor.

'You bloody elf -' Lucius's insults trailed off into nothing as he looked up and saw the sight before him. Hermione stared at him in horror as Narcissa sat back triumphantly in her chair, smirking as she sipped from her glass of red wine.

It had happened at last. Hermione had finally come face to face with the man she feared almost as much as Voldemort. She had been naïve to think that she could avoid it forever, and as she stood rooted to the spot, unable to think of anything to do or say that could help her, she watched as his eyes lit up with unmistakeable malice.

'Could this be?' he asked quietly, but his voice seemed to fill the room horribly. 'Is it possible that the mudblood Hermione Granger is standing before me?'

Hermione couldn't take her eyes away from his as they danced in the firelight, visions of horror flashing across them. As she continued to stand in silence, Narcissa interrupted the unbearable atmosphere with a tinkling laugh.

'Oh, didn't I tell you, darling? She's been Draco's slave for a while now,' she informed her husband, waving a hand airily as though to smack herself for forgetting to tell him in the first place. For a moment Lucius seemed torn between his fury at not knowing this before, and his delight at the opportunities that had suddenly presented themselves.

'But she's positively filthy!' he exclaimed in glee, leaning back in his chair as he took in her appearance. Hermione had still not moved, because she didn't trust herself not to turn and run from the room and never look back. Her eyes shifted finally onto Narcissa, who gazed at her coldly as if to say, _Did you really think you could beat me, mudblood?_

'How in Merlin's name did _you _survive the camps, mudblood? I thought the Dark Lord disposed of you years ago,' Lucius wrinkled his nose as he spoke, referring to her as if she were nothing more than a used tissue that had floated into his lap.

'He asked you a question, you disgusting worm,' Narcissa snapped, clearly enjoying the sudden turn of events immensely. Before Hermione could even open her mouth, before she had even thought of a single response that would have spared her from more torment, Lucius had his wand pointed on her.

'_Crucio_,' he said coolly, almost as if he were bored. Hermione dropped to the floor, screaming so loudly she thought her lungs would burst, as her limbs twisted and writhed out of her control. She couldn't even hear the laughter that echoed around the room, the pain was so unbearable. And then it was over, far more quickly than she would have imagined - but as she managed to raise her head from the floor she saw that this wasn't because Lucius had shown mercy. It was because the last member of the Malfoy family had come to join them, and as she saw first his feet then his legs come into her line of vision she felt herself fill with relief.

'What's going on here?' Malfoy directed the question at his father as he stepped over Hermione, leaving her where she lay.

'Your secret's out, Draco,' Lucius said calmly, placing his wand on the table so that he could take a sip of wine. Hermione brought herself up to her knees and looked up at Malfoy's back, which was all she could see of him. At his father's words, Malfoy turned around to look at her, and although he sneered coldly, Hermione could see that all colour had left his face.

'Secret? What secret?' he asked, turning back to his father and walking over to stand by the fire so that he could face Hermione. On the inside he was panicking - he had just walked in on something very bad, but how bad it was he had to figure out before he said or did anything more.

'How could you have neglected to tell me that you found the Granger mudblood?' Lucius demanded, his anger suddenly prevailing over his delight. Slightly, very slightly, Malfoy relaxed. So they didn't know about Pearl - that secret was still safe. This he could deal with.

'I found her, she was mine to do what I wanted with her,' he said coolly, not daring to look over at Hermione. She was staring up at him with almost a pleading expression on her face, and if he wasn't careful he would give it away. Lucius regarded her for a moment before conceding.

'Fair enough. But I cannot deny that I would have loved to join you in this particular case. You know how I always wanted to rip her to shreds,' he grinned down at Hermione, who was still on the floor, and she felt the pit of her stomach evaporate. He looked more animal than man as he leered at her, and she wanted to scream at Malfoy to help her before Lucius killed her on the spot. Malfoy too felt a rippling of anger at his father's words but made sure he didn't show it.

'You have the whole world as your playground on that matter, Father. I'll only ask you once that you leave _this _bit of slime to me,' he walked back over to Hermione and stood right beside her, looking down at her with such a look of loathing that Hermione felt even colder still.

'Do we have an understanding?' Malfoy prompted Lucius, who was still watching Hermione as if she were the next course of his meal. He didn't answer, but merely let out a low chuckle. Malfoy seemed to take this as an agreement.

'Good,' he said. 'Now - if you'll excuse me…'

He took a deep breath and reached down to snatch Hermione up by the hair. He cringed as she let out a shriek of pain, but he was already dragging her out of the room and down the hallway as fast as he could. Once he believed they were safe he let go of her instantly and picked her up off the floor with ease, putting her back on her feet. She was shaking, and clutched to him as he helped her down the hall.

'Malfoy…' she whimpered in horror. 'Malfoy…'

She couldn't think of anything else to say. She couldn't think of a single solution, and any happiness that she had felt seemed laughable. Lucius knew of her existence and she would never be safe in this house again. He would torture her to within an inch of her life again and again, and finally when he was bored of her he would deliver the final blow. He wouldn't listen to Malfoy's request - the idea of having the girl who had once caused so much trouble for his family at his complete mercy was too tempting.

And Narcissa…Hermione's blood bubbled at the thought of her. She had been true to her word and she hadn't told Lucius Pearl's secret. But Hermione believed that she had done worse. She had purposefully brought her to Lucius's attention, and it would ruin everything.

'Malfoy,' she whispered again as she staggered against him. He was leading her up to his room, half-dragging her up the stairs. He didn't speak until they were safely inside and the door was sealed behind them. He led her to the bed and sat her down carefully, searching her for outward signs of injury.

'What happened?' he asked her urgently. 'What the hell were you doing going near them?'

'I thought it was you,' she whispered in dismay, tears now pouring down her face. She looked up at him hopelessly and he looked back, still paler than usual and looking like a wave of fury was just below the surface.

'Why did you think it was me?' he asked in confusion, not much caring for the answer as he tried madly to think of a plan.

'Because my bell rang three times, which means you want me. I thought - I thought you wanted me to bring you dinner,' Hermione explained tearfully, still shaking all over from the remnants of the Cruciatus Curse.

'Why were they even in that dining room, they never eat there,' Malfoy muttered angrily, sitting down beside her and trying to calm himself down.

'It was a trap,' Hermione whimpered, and she found herself leaning against him as soon as he was beside her. Malfoy absent-mindedly put a comforting arm around her and stroked her hair gently. He found that this action seemed to calm him down as well, so he kept doing it.

'When you say trap, what do you mean? Not - not Finnigan?' Malfoy was instantly revved up again as it hit him, and he was on his feet in fury before Hermione reached out for his hand and pulled him back down.

'Malfoy, can you not think about _him_ for _once?_'

'Sorry,' Malfoy murmured as he resumed stroking her hair. 'But when you say trap, what do you mean?'

Hermione took a deep breath. It seemed now that she had to tell him what she knew. That it had in fact been Narcissa, her almost-former friend, who had called Hermione to them, knowing that Malfoy usually ate there and that she would come for him. That it had been Narcissa who had finally managed to reveal her continued existence to Lucius, who would now make her life utterly unbearable. And that it had been Narcissa who had done all this, to get revenge on Hermione for blackmailing her because she was sleeping with one of his closest friends.

She opened her mouth to tell him all of this. He was looking down at her with pity and concern and remorse. And she knew that he felt responsible for the pain that she had just suffered, and regretted that he'd had to add to it to get her safely away from his father, and would try all that he could to stop it from happening again. And once more, she was gripped with the unquestionable knowledge that she did not want to be the one to reveal to him the last secret of the Malfoy Manor, the one that would rid him of the last sliver of love that remains to him in the form of the innocent picture of his mother that was painted before his eyes. So she would take the easier option, the one that he had already handed her.

She sighed and smiled sadly as she looked away from those piercing grey eyes.

'You were right. I think Seamus is trying to destroy you.'

Yes. And she had thought that _last_ week was bad.

--

**A lot of you predicted that Hermione would blackmail Narcissa, well done! But of course Narcissa wasn't going to take it lying down... I hope you all enjoyed this chappy, I know it didn't have much Draco/Hermione stuff in it but there's a time and a place for that! Sorry I haven't replied to any of your reviews from the last chapter, if any of you want to review this one feel free to chuck out any suggestions for what you would like to happen next cos I always love to hear that.**

**And lastly, thank you to everyone who loved this story enough to pester me about it (yes, even the people who seemed a little violent) but it really meant a lot to me that you stuck with this story and if I ever go on such an extended holiday again you're very welcome to badger me until I update again. I'll keep writing this story as long as you keep wanting to read it :)**

**lots of love xxx**


	25. The OneStep Forwarders

**Hi :) I won't stop to say too much because I just want to post this straight away so you don't have to wait another second. Just a point or two though: I told a few of you in private that I had already written the PROLOGUE for this story, which probably confused you. What I meant to say was that I've already written the EPILOGUE for this story, meaning that I have absolutely no intentions of quitting it because the ending is already written and I love it too much not to share it. If you had any questions please feel free to ask, even if you already asked them, and I do generally try to reply when I'm not being forgetful.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. There are some yummy bits in it, as requested :)**

**--**

In her dreams he stalked her like a shadow. Everywhere she turned he was there, ready to spring. His blackness brought with him a feeling of doom such as she had never felt before, and she awoke grasping for her wand which was not there. It had been several days since Lucius had discovered her, and she had lived every moment since in pure terror. But so far her ever-present fears that he was creeping up behind her, ready to attack, had not come true. This did not put her mind at ease, however: she had seen the look in his eyes and it was not the look of a man who was going to forget any time soon.

What was he waiting for? What was he doing? Hermione almost _wanted _him to come for her, because the waiting was so terrible that her stomach was in never-ceasing knots and her brow always seemed to be beaded with sweat. All of this, and she had not glimpsed him even once.

She had almost instantly regretted her lies to Malfoy, because ever since she had uttered those thoughtless allegations he had been a man completely possessed, his mind capable only of thinking about Seamus. He had come and gone a lot, whisking about the house so secretly that he did nothing to ease Hermione's nerves as she watched him hunched over all kinds of documents and muttering to himself. If he was searching for something that he could use against his enemy, he so far appeared to be unsuccessful.

But meanwhile, it was Hermione that he should have been preoccupied with. She had been in such fear of Lucius that she had been hiding in Malfoy's bedroom for as long as he himself was there, knowing that only he could protect her from him. But when Malfoy regretfully had to leave, she felt that there was nowhere left to hide and instead took to moving about the house in such stealth that she would have been proud of herself if she hadn't been so scared.

'What's he waiting for?' she burst out angrily one day as she paced about Malfoy's bedroom. He jumped a little as she broke through the silence of his thoughts; he had been so immersed in the letter he was reading that he had forgotten she was there.

'I expect he's got more important things to do,' he replied, trying not to make it sound rude because it was true. If Draco was beloved by the Dark Lord, Lucius was practically in his bed. There was no question that his father sat on Voldemort's right hand side, and if only he himself was trying as hard as he should have been that spot would be waiting for him soon enough.

'Is he abroad?' Hermione jumped on Malfoy's reply, not bothered at all that Lucius apparently wasn't as interested in her as he had seemed. 'Will he be away for a long time? I haven't seen him once, he must be away.'

She was speaking almost to herself but Malfoy answered her anyway. 'No, he's around,' he said absent-mindedly, still perusing the contents of the letter on his desk. He didn't notice Hermione's look of horror and only after five whole minutes of complete stillness and silence did he turn back to her. She hadn't moved an inch and was gazing at him solidly.

'What?' he said rather distractedly, unable to completely turn all of his concentration towards her. Hermione's rather blank face transformed into a sudden dreadful snarl, and while his mind was still elsewhere she rushed forwards and striked Malfoy across the face.

His head jolted back and he left it there, his letter now completely forgotten. Hermione glared down at him in such fury he could see that her whole body appeared to be shaking, her hands scrunched into fists held stiffly at her sides.

'Do I have your attention now, _Master _Malfoy?' she spat at him cynically. Malfoy looked up at her, feeling bewildered. As her hand made as if to rise up and hit him again he quickly rose from his chair and pinned her arms at her sides.

'Calm down,' he commanded her as she tried to snatch herself out of his grasp.

'I will not!' she shrieked indignantly. She pushed at every bit of him she could reach and he let her work it out of her system. When he finally felt her weaken he snatched her hands up and shook them a little.

'What is it?' he asked, trying to keep his voice calm in the hope that it would in return sober Hermione. She looked down at their hands held together in distaste but Malfoy refused to loosen his grip.

'You're despicable!' she snapped at him, pouring the loathing into her eyes as she looked up into his bemused face.

'Despicable?' Malfoy repeated, alarmed. 'That's a little strong, isn't it?'

'Don't!' Hermione cut him off, her voice hard. 'Don't try to make this a joke!'

'I wasn't -' Malfoy felt utterly lost as again she cut him off, still looking furious.

'You're so horrible,' Hermione went on, and at last the fury in her voice cracked a little and let the fear squeeze through. 'You're so selfish,' she whispered, her voice now wobbling horribly.

'I'm sorry,' Malfoy said automatically. He didn't quite understand, but now that he had began apologising to her it always seemed the easiest thing to do. And he meant it, even if he didn't know why. Hermione wasn't having any of this, though.

'Don't say that unless you know what you're apologising for!' she retorted, her anger reappearing. 'Here I am, sneaking around day and night just _waiting _for your devil of a father to come and get me, and all you can think about is stupid Seamus and his stupid schemes!'

Once she had got this out Hermione bowed her head and fought hard to not let a sob escape her body. Malfoy's confusion cleared as he understood exactly what she was so mad about - and suddenly he felt ashamed of himself. She was completely right. He had been so caught up in his own worries that he had forgotten what danger she was in.

'I'm sorry,' he breathed, and he realised now that he hadn't truly meant it before. Now even he could hear the sincerity in his tone, and when Hermione looked up at him warily he returned her look with a mournful expression. Apologising was still a new concept to him. But somehow she always managed to make it easy for him. He looked into her eyes, refusing to break the connection to show her how much he meant his next words.

'You were right to slap me,' he admitted. And then - 'I'll look after you from now on.'

They were a simple thing, those little words. But the impact that they had on Hermione was so glorious, so instantaneous, so indescribably_ wonderful_ that for a moment she was completely paralysed in her body, feeling nothing but her skin and her blood and the warmth that wasn't hers but was being given to her by the warm and perfectly rough hands that surrounded her own.

_I'll look after you from now on._

He couldn't possibly know how literally she took those words. He, a spoilt, rich kid who had had everything handed to him his whole life, couldn't ever understand how touching they were to her.

_I'll look after you from now on._

They ricocheted around her mind, rattling the foundations of her thoughts. There they were again.

_I'LL LOOK AFTER YOU FROM NOW ON._

And she, just a plain girl with absolutely nothing left to her in the world but her body and her mind and her soul, did the only thing that she could in reply to such a beautiful sentence.

'Draco,' she said, her voice low and hoarse. And that's all it took.

His eyes changed as she stared deeply into them. What a second ago had been two pools of worry and regret were now bright silver orbs, dancing with a sudden hunger that she wanted nothing more than to fulfil. His hands still clutching her own, he pulled her roughly towards him and then their lips were everywhere. They were against each other, they were heat and fire, they were surrounding them, they were the very room itself. Hermione could think of nothing but his mouth and that it was against hers and that it was going to look after her.

They knelt to the floor, the idea of comfort and a bed meaning nothing to them. Malfoy couldn't bring himself to take his lips away from hers, all he knew was that when he did it would hurt. So he kissed her harder, furiously, and Hermione sighed against him and arched her back, forcing their bodies together. They didn't need anything more than this until they did, and suddenly it was much later and they were still kissing, and nothing else. Malfoy reached down, his hand still holding Hermione's, and together they undid his pants and slid them down just a little. Together their hands ran the lengths of Hermione's thighs, pulling her dress up at the same time and slipping her underwear off so smoothly there was no question that it wasn't right.

And then Malfoy was inside of her once more, and they were on the floor, and they didn't care. All she could think was that he would look after her, and all he could think was that this beautiful girl had looked past the Malfoy and seen the Draco inside. Everywhere that their skin touched the cool black floor their skin burned, and everywhere that it did not their skin burned even more. With Hermione breathing raggedly, a tear or two escaping from her eye as she struggled with her pleasure and her happiness, and Malfoy with his lips still pressed tightly to hers, unable to stop kissing her, they moved together and together and not apart until they couldn't move anymore.

They held hands the whole time.

--

Later, when they had moved to the bed and were lying half-naked right in the middle, wrapped tightly in blankets and each other for warmth, Hermione reflected that it was the first time they had slept together that hadn't ended with awkwardness or disappearance. Malfoy was holding her against him and she was more than happy to wrap her arm around his chest, pressing an ear to his warm skin. She could feel his steady heartbeat, never slowing or speeding up, and it calmed her.

They hadn't said much, and the silence wasn't uncomfortable. When Hermione finally broke it it was to ask something that she hadn't thought of for a long time.

'Do you remember that day that I found you crying?' she asked him softly, peering up into his face to see if his expression would darken at the memory. Malfoy was staring out the window, and he didn't appear angry at the question. He nodded in reply.

'What were you crying about?' Hermione said. It was something that for weeks after had bothered her on end, and suddenly she was just as curious to know as she had been then. Malfoy's head turned back to her before he answered. He frowned.

'It's not a nice story,' he told her. But Hermione was persistent. She had never felt that they had gotten on this well before and she wanted him to want to confide something in her.

'My whole life isn't a nice story,' she replied, smiling a little. Malfoy returned it sadly and patted her on the head for a moment as he thought.

'Alright, if you really want to hear it…' he said slowly, with obvious reluctance. Hermione nodded.

'Please.' Malfoy sighed.

'I was sent to find a couple who were on our side but rumoured to be plotting against us. I found them easily enough, but the man saw me coming and they knew exactly why I was there. He attacked, and I killed him.' He said it so matter-of-factly that Hermione shivered slightly. Malfoy felt the convulsions of her body and held her a little tighter.

'Just like that?' she asked, a little disgusted and a little awe-struck. 'You killed him, just like that?'

'Well…yes. I'm good at killing.' Hermione heard the bitterness in his voice and didn't question him again.

'I went into their little hidey-hole to find the other one, his wife. When I found her, though, she wasn't trying to fight me. She had a baby in her arms and she was begging me not to kill it. I don't even know if it was a boy or girl. All I remember is her pleading, over and over, and I didn't know what to do. So I did what came naturally. I killed them both. It was messy.'

He finished, and Hermione was silent. It was a horrible, chilling story, but it wasn't just that that was bothering her. It was the undeniable familiarity of it, and she didn't want to think about that. She didn't _ever _want to think about that, or him, again. She cast it aside and Malfoy went on.

'Not nice, is it?' he said rhetorically. 'What I did - what I do.'

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she stayed still against him. Malfoy shuddered a little at one of his most horrible memories - it had been the only time he'd ever killed a child. He looked down at her in a kind of confused happiness. 'I can't believe you're still here.'

'What do you mean?' Hermione asked in confusion. As if she could leave.

'I mean, I can't believe you're not running away from me and screaming. I'm a murderer and a rapist.' The words were so cold and so true that Hermione was shocked to hear him announce this so honestly. But still she didn't want to take her arm away from him.

'You _were _those things,' she corrected him firmly. 'You don't have to be anymore.'

Malfoy shrugged a little and didn't answer. He wanted very much to agree with her, to promise that he would never do any of those unspeakably awful things again, but he knew that he couldn't do that. And he wondered then, but didn't speak it because he had never felt such a peaceful moment in his life than that very moment, how in all the worlds this story was ever going to end happily.

--

Hermione didn't leave Malfoy's bed for the rest of the day, and they lay together undisturbed for hours. The threat of Lucius hadn't returned to Hermione's thoughts, but Malfoy wasn't fortunate to have as much peace of mind as she did. Every now and then his eyes would fall upon his desk and his mind would wonder back to the letter which he had been studying before Hermione's "interruption". This didn't go by unnoticed, however. Whenever Hermione saw him eyeing his desk chair longingly, she pulled his attention back around to her by gently stroking his chest.

'Don't,' she whispered, tracing a circular pattern over his skin with her nail. Whenever Malfoy made as if to shift away from the bed she clung to him tighter and wouldn't let go of his arm. She had never imagined herself doing such things, but there was something so blissfully normal about it that she couldn't bring herself to feel ashamed of performing such "girlfriend" behaviour. And in any case, it worked.

Malfoy evidently felt too guilty for his earlier neglect of her to return to his planning. He thought about asking for her opinion on one or two things, but thought better of it. Now, whenever Seamus's name was mentioned Hermione's expression darkened and she pursed her lips in a most uninviting manner. She was now completely convinced that Seamus was just another arrogant Death Eater, trying to get under Malfoy's skin. And that's exactly what he was doing - Malfoy was playing right into his hands.

The sun had already fallen from the sky before either of them stirred at last. Malfoy had returned to staring out the window, thinking in the privacy of his mind about Seamus once more. Hermione had fallen asleep against his shoulder. As the moon slowly began to rise Malfoy supposed he should go down to dinner, so he unwillingly woke Hermione.

'Hm?' she murmured sleepily as she sat up and looked around.

'It's dinner time,' Malfoy informed her, looking around for his shirt. It was lying at the end of the bed, and as he reached for it Hermione felt herself pouting.

'Am I to go back to my dungeon room, then?' she asked, trying not to sound too angry. He had just spent the whole day lying in bed with her, after all. Malfoy stopped.

'No, that won't do,' he shook his head and was glad to see her smile.

'Why can't we just stay here…' Hermione trailed her hand over his arm as she lay back against the pillows. She was still overcome with drowsiness and couldn't seem to find an ounce of strength to get out of bed and stand on her feet. Malfoy watched the journey of her slender fingers as they slid over his skin and his eyes kept going, taking in her messy hair surrounding her on the pillow and her half-closed eyes.

'I like that idea,' he said, rolling over so that he was on top of her. Hermione was slightly taken by surprise as she hadn't intended to be seductive, but she was certainly not in the mood to disagree with him. He was already lying in between her legs and her body was so obliging to his touch that she could already feel herself beginning to pulse against his stomach. Her lips were still bruised and swollen from their earlier encounter and he seemed aware of it as he lowered his mouth instead to her neck. She tilted her head and stroked his hair softly as he kissed her, feeling herself being turned on by the sound of his heavy breathing beside her ear.

She was only in her underwear and felt very aware of all the places where her skin was touching his. Malfoy seemed to sense her thoughts as his hands suddenly found her waist, squeezing tightly for a moment before trailing down to the crook behind her knee. While Hermione amused herself to no end by tracing the contours of his back and feeling pleasure from the simple task of exploring his muscles, Malfoy caressed the sensitive skin on the back of her knee. In one fierce move, he pushed her leg up so that his hand was imprisoned between her thigh and calf, and he lowered his lips instead to kiss along her inner thigh. Hermione moaned and tried to keep still as he slowly moved closer to her centre.

Her eyes slid closed as she raised herself slightly to allow him to pull down her only remaining piece of clothing. When she was liberated she lay back and waited with baited breath. Malfoy's arms were now wrapped around her thighs, his entire body slid down so that he was in prime position to offer her some pleasure. As Hermione waited to feel his touch against her throbbing centre she let out a little whimper of frustration, feeling his hot breath trail over her thighs. He was so close that it was excruciating to have to wait any longer, and she raised herself towards him in desperation. Malfoy waited, hovering above her, waiting for her impatience to mount over into fury. And just as Hermione attempted once more to raise herself up towards him, he attacked.

His tongue danced over her throbbing clit and Hermione exclaimed loudly, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. She bucked against him but Malfoy held her still, forcing her back down against the bed as he continued his assault of pleasure. Hermione kept her hand over her mouth, her teeth digging painfully into her palm as she bit back endless moans. It was cruel that he could do that to her, to make her feel so completely naked not only to his eye but to his demands as well. When his tongue flicked her body replied instantaneously, and she could feel her wetness soaking the sheets beneath her, and when his lips teased her own responded with such humiliating eagerness that she couldn't stand it.

Malfoy too was reaching the limits of his self control as he tasted her juices against his tongue. She was soaking for him and he had never wanted so badly to slip inside her and take her as hard as he could. He was already hard and could feel himself convulsing, his whole body struggling against his mind as he yearned to fuck her. And then Hermione said his name for the second time that day, and once more he could no longer stop himself.

'Draco…' she moaned, and it wasn't a statement or a question - she was begging him, pleading with him to end her unbearable gratification. Malfoy was already naked by the time he had returned himself to his former position between her legs, and without waiting for another word he had thrust inside of her, wrenching a long, long sigh of satisfaction from between her lips.

He didn't want to be patient with her tonight, she had teased him so far beyond the point of gentleness with her sweet taste and low moans. Hermione wasn't prepared for the feeling of him as he plunged into her more deeply and more quickly than he ever had before, and every drive was met with a scream that was indefinable as pleasure or pain. While he continued to thrust into her Malfoy lifted a gentle finger to her mouth, shushing her so tenderly that it was just as unbearable as his endless fucking. Hermione whimpered very softly as his finger rested against her swollen lips, her mind completely engulfed by the indescribable and mind-blowing submissiveness she felt at being beneath him and being completely dominated by him. The combination of his turbulent thrusting and soft shushing soon had Hermione moaning, and she spoke in desperation, the words caressing his finger.

'I'm coming,' she whimpered, over and over again. 'I'm coming, I'm coming -'

These words were too much for Malfoy. With a low groan that he hid against her neck, he began to pump his blazing juices inside of her. Hermione let out a little gasp as she felt his warmth against her own, and her snug walls squeezed him tightly as she climaxed, desperately holding in all of the screams that wanted to escape her. She was still convulsing around him gently as Malfoy, panting, lifted his head and looked down at her. She was flushed pink with pleasure and he kept his finger against her soft lips, glad that she had seemed to enjoy his more forceful taking of her.

But in their world happiness can only last so long, and in that quiet, lazy day these two people had certainly just had more than their fair share in this unfair world. They did not rise from the bed again for the rest of the night, for food, for air, for anything, and in the morning it was back to the real world once more.

--

When Hermione awoke in Malfoy's bed she was not surprised to find that most of the giddiness that she had felt yesterday had worn off while she slept peacefully. She was grateful for what had happened and how it had ended, but on the other side of dawn danger felt much more present. This was made only too clear as she rolled over to see Malfoy once more seated at his desk. He was holding a letter, different from yesterday's, and he seemed in a relatively good mood. Despite his weak smile, however, Hermione knew that she couldn't linger in her happiness of yesterday. She accepted this quickly and moved on to today, reaching for her clothes as she nodded towards the letter in his hand.

'Something good?' she asked, noting the eagerness on his face.

'Maybe,' Malfoy replied, and then his smile faded. 'Look, I don't mean to do this, but…'

Hermione stood, half-dressed, and faced him. She knew what was coming and it didn't bother her.

'You're going out again?' she guessed, and Malfoy nodded. He gestured towards the parchment still held tightly in his hand.

'I might have found something here, and I want to follow it up,' he said in an almost pleading tone, as if asking for her permission. Hermione nodded and turned to finish dressing.

'Of course,' she said indifferently. A tiny part of her was crying that once more he was leaving her, but she silenced it firmly. Once she had pulled her dress over her head, she looked down at herself and wrinkled her nose. She turned back to Malfoy and found that she didn't have to force a smile onto her face.

'I am in desperate need of a bath,' she announced, and Malfoy smiled.

'Help yourself to whatever you need,' he told her. He pointed his wand at his wardrobe in the corner and the door sprang open as a new uniform for her flew out and landed softly on the bed. It was another dress, and Hermione hesitated a moment before speaking again.

'Do you…could I maybe have some pants, instead? It's a little cold up here, in case you hadn't noticed,' she looked pointedly around at the cold floor, the freezing walls. Malfoy flicked his wand once more and her new dress was transfigured instead into a pair of loose-fitting pants, several singlets and long-sleeved skivvies, thick-looking woollen socks, and a wonderfully warm-looking sweater. All were dull colours of black or grey, but this didn't bother Hermione in the slightest.

'Sorry - didn't occur to me,' Malfoy looked around his room too but didn't see the things that Hermione saw. He loved his room, and if it was even slightly cold…well, he was used to it. There was a never-used fireplace which he lit up as well and Hermione beamed into the flames.

'Thank you,' she said, sliding the soft fabric of her new clothes between her fingers. She didn't really think much of what she did next, which was walk over to Malfoy and stand on her tip-toes to plant a little kiss on his cheek. For a moment there was an unspoken wishing that passed between them, that they could go back to yesterday and kiss and touch and lie together until it went dark. But they both knew that time wouldn't stand still for them, however much they wanted it to.

Malfoy brushed a strand of stray hair away from Hermione's cheek and then bent down to kiss the same patch of soft skin. His lips slowly made their way over to her mouth and they kissed once, holding on to it for as long as they could. Then they broke apart and the moment was over, but neither had forgotten any of it and they never would again - no backwards steps anymore.

Before Malfoy left unsaid conversation passed between them:

_Say it one more time._

_Draco._

_Promise me once more._

_I'll look after you from now on._

_When can we be together again._

_Soon._

_I hope._

And all of these silent words all became true. Hermione only wished, later that day, that they became a little more true and a little more quickly.

--

It can't be said that Malfoy broke his promise. And it can't be said that he didn't mean it. He had every intention of looking after Hermione from then on out, and it was only desperation that drew him away from her that morning. If he had learnt anything from their moment of happiness, it was that he wanted more. And the only way he knew of achieving this was by stopping the thing that brought to him all of his misery. Of course, for Malfoy there were many people who caused him strife. But none would ever in his eyes be as deserving of revenge as Seamus Finnigan.

So really, it was his promise that led him away from Hermione that morning, and it was his promise that suffered for it. Because as two people who had seen more than a lifetime's worth of pain, they both should have known by now that it is always calm before the storm, and that day the storm finally caught up with Hermione.

After Malfoy left Hermione took her time in taking a bath, enjoying the warmth and the joy that for once she wouldn't have to get out and prepare herself for an evening as Pearl, spent in the company of all her least favourite people. When she got out she dressed quickly and walked for a while around Malfoy's room, wondering what to do now. She took a closer look at the surroundings of his desk and was pleased to see that he had a small collection of books hidden there where she hadn't noticed them before. On closer inspection none of them appealed very much to Hermione, but she took one about Wizarding Genealogy and settled down on the floor by his fire to read it.

It wasn't long at all before the black doors behind her slid open and a silent predator made his way into the room. Hermione was much too distracted in reading to notice him before it was too late, and no amount of warning in the world could have made a difference anyway. Lucius stalked into the bedroom and glanced around unnecessarily to confirm his suspicions.

'No Draco around to protect you today,' he observed in a pleasant tone. Hermione was instantly on her feet and backing away from him in horror, looking around hopelessly for help that could not possibly come. Whatever had kept Lucius busy now seemed to be over, and at last he had come for her just as she knew he would all along.

'Stay…stay back!' she stuttered, amazed that her voice could still be working when she felt so scared. Lucius kept coming towards her, his eyes glinting.

'You know what Dra -Malfoy said! You're to leave me alone!' she used her bossiest voice, but of course it had no effect on Lucius except to make him laugh.

'I don't take orders from my son yet,' he said smoothly. He drew his wand.

--

Luckily for Hermione, Malfoy's big lead turned out to be nothing and it didn't take him long to realise it. Unluckily for Hermione, a few minutes was all Lucius needed to inflict a lot of pain. When Malfoy re-entered the room soon after he had left it was to find Hermione shrieking in agony as she writhed about the floor, with his father standing over her with a look of glee on his face.

He couldn't think of words strong enough to yell at his father, so instead he pulled out his own wand and without even opening his mouth Lucius was blasted off his feet and against the wall. For a moment there was a shocking silence, in which Malfoy didn't dare go to help Hermione. Instead he waited in silent fury for his father to get to his feet, which he did slowly and with a terrible glint in his eye.

'That wasn't very kind, Draco,' he said silkily. Mercilessly, Malfoy flicked his wand again and a large searing gash appearing along his father's cheek. Lucius winced slightly, but apart from that gave no notice of it.

'I'll do worse if you interfere with _my _business again,' Malfoy said coldly. He had never tried to command his father so, and it was not as hard as he thought it would be. Lucius stared into his son's eyes and saw no hint of remorse or hesitation looking back at him. With a curt nod, and one last sneer in Hermione's direction, he left the room. Malfoy watched him go with cruel eyes, not doubting for one second that that would be the end of it.

As soon as the doors were shut behind him he rushed forwards to Hermione and helped her over to the bed. She didn't have any outward signs of injury, and seemed not too badly hurt.

'I'm so sorry,' Malfoy began, but Hermione interrupted him.

'It's ok. He only used the Cruciatus Curse on me once or twice before you came in. It doesn't even hurt that badly anymore,' she insisted. Malfoy couldn't bear to stop moving for one moment because he knew then that the guilt would flood into his head. After he had just promised to look after her he had already failed entirely. It was no wonder he was such a pathetic human.

'I'm going to get the elves to make you a potion straight away, it will make you feel better as soon as you drink it,' he promised, snapping his fingers. Hermione barely heard or saw their brief conversation as she lay shivering on the bed. Suddenly she felt Malfoy's weight beside her and opened her eyes to try and give him a little reassuring smile.

She somehow didn't feel mad at him as she would have before. She knew that he must be hating himself right now for breaking his promise, and she couldn't bear to give up on him so quickly when they were just making some progress. When he was just beginning to become a good person.

'I'm not mad at you,' she told him sternly. 'I'm not lying.'

Malfoy regarded her for a moment and nodded. 'I believe you. But I'm still really sorry.'

Hermione didn't know what do say so she remained silent. Her body was aching all over, but it felt numb to her in a way. She could feel herself shaking but she couldn't control it. It would settle down soon enough.

The elf returned unbelievably quickly with a bubbling goblet of bright yellow potion for her. Malfoy helped her to sip some of it and she felt instantly cured of all her pain.

'Wow,' she breathed softly, and quickly drained the rest.

'You like it?' Malfoy smiled. 'I made it myself.'

Hermione stared at him in amazement. 'You invented that potion?'

'When I was a lot younger. I was in desperate need of it, after all the times my father used to beat me up. I hadn't thought of it for years, though. I guess I got used to the pain.'

Hermione was torn between being supremely impressed by this - she had never fully understood how smart he was - and pity for how sad this sentiment was. For a moment both stared at the other, and each of them truly believed that the other had had the worst life. It seemed, though, that now all of their pain would be joint. They would be in it together now - and as this thought registered to Hermione she resigned herself to tell him the truth.

'I also have something to apologise for,' she said quietly. Malfoy looked at her curiously so she went on dejectedly. 'It wasn't Seamus that set me up for your father to find. It was…your mum.'

Malfoy stared at her blankly for a moment. He opened his mouth then closed it again, before finally managing to say - 'Wait. What?'

'She knows about Pearl,' Hermione said regretfully. 'She saw me after the party, and she was the one that sent me to that dining room.'

'But…that doesn't make any sense,' Malfoy frowned. 'If she knew she would have told my father straight away.'

Hermione hesitated. She had just resigned herself to tell the truth, but she still believed that hiding this particular part of it would be for the best. Still, she couldn't imagine hurting him in this way, because essentially she would be taking his mother away from him. And in truth, another part of her was scared that his knowledge of this would erase their progress back to nothing.

'Apparently she likes the idea of screwing around with me as much as your father does,' Hermione shrugged, hoping Malfoy would accept this explanation. He did.

'Yeah, that would be right,' he sighed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. 'It feels like our safety is wearing thinner every day. _She _knows about Pearl, _he_ knows about you, and fucking Finnigan knows everything.'

'I don't think she'll tell him,' Hermione said reassuringly, not knowing why he would believe her. But Malfoy seemed to be thinking about other things.

'Well, first thing's first. I've already broken my promise to you once and it won't happen again. So I think it would be for the best if you pretended to be Pearl for a little while, to keep you safe from…the greater evil, at least.'

Hermione nodded in acceptance. She would do as he said, because he generally seemed to know best with these things. And it seemed fair enough - she would rather be safe from Lucius and put up with Narcissa than the other way around. Being Pearl could sometimes be fun, anyway.

'Ok, good. You'll arrive first thing in the morning as Pearl, and I'll tell my parents that I've invited you to stay for a few weeks. That will buy me some time to come up with something better.'

Hermione nodded again and sat in silence as Malfoy began to pace and scheme. She watched him walk around and around, and just as he had done before her, she wondered if there would ever be a way to win in this world, when all she could seem to do was keep losing.

--

**Well I hope that you liked this chappy and enjoyed the somewhat high levels of smut in it. I figured I owed you a bit. Hope to hear from you all :)**

**lots of love xxxx**


	26. The Saviour

**Hi everyone, here I am looking very guilty and bringing you the long-awaited next chapter! If you needed to refresh your memory, Pearl was about to come and stay at the Manor to protect Hermione from Lucius. Not sure how Narcissa will like this...and I won't make you wait any longer to find out! Hope you enjoy it and that it was worth the wait (again, look****ing guilty)**

**--**

Everything was arranged for Pearl's coming to stay the very next morning. Malfoy set up a whole section of the house for her, including a bedroom, sitting room and private dining room. Hermione almost asked him whether she really had to sleep there by herself, but didn't quite work up the courage before the house elves had prepared it all for her. She felt almost as if she was a traitor to her dear little friends - she had started as their equal and somehow, without no effort whatsoever, had climbed up to be one of their very own mistresses. She felt that a visit was due to them, so that night, after Malfoy had strictly assured her that his father had left the manor, she crept quietly down to the kitchens.

'Hermione!' they squealed in delight at her appearance and immediately crowded around. Hermione hugged each of them in turn, realising as she did so just how much she cared for them.

'We has not seen you properly for days!' Flopsy was actually crying in happiness as Hermione made her way towards him. She gave him the biggest hug of all and he was delighted when she complimented the way he had pushed his ears back. He turned bright red and leaned in to whisper.

'I is thinking that this is how Minky likes them best,' he confided in her, and Hermione had to agree with him when she saw the look of absolute adoration upon Minky's face.

'What has you been up to?' Tellty now asked, coming forward with a large bowl of cake mix. The elves all sat around and listened in awe and Hermione found herself pouring her heart out to them shamelessly. She told them about Narcissa discovering her, and how she had thought the woman might actually have liked her for who she was. She told them about Lucius torturing her (to their horror), and how she could barely get to sleep now without his face looming above her. She tripped over Malfoy's name, and quickly said nothing more than that Master Malfoy was growing into an almost-decent man, before hastily finishing her tale. Had she not had her eyes downcast she would have seen the knowing looks that the elves shot each other.

'We has been thinking that the Master is much changed,' Minky said, nodding at her companions to agree with her. 'He hasn't done any wickedness to us for a long time!'

Hermione shivered a little as she remembered the last time Malfoy had decided to be "wicked" to the house elves, and how it had been all her fault. She made sure to let them know how glad she was that their lives were improved, and offered to help with any of the cooking before she wouldn't be able to anymore.

'You can try my cakes!' Tellty took her hand and lead her over to his section of the kitchen, and Hermione obligingly tried a little of everything and helped him to finish off the one that he had been mixing during her story.

'Is there a dinner party, or something?' she wondered, looking around at the gorgeous cakes that covered every surface.

'They're for you, Hermione!' Tellty told her in delight, looking surprised that she hadn't guessed.

'For me?' Hermione stared at him in confusion.

'Of course,' he nodded. 'Master Malfoy has asked us just this hour to prepare for Mistress Pearl's visit.'

'Oh.' Hermione suddenly felt dreadfully guilty again, and felt that she had to explain herself. But what could she even say? That she was better than them now, only because she had to pretend to be someone else until further notice to avoid being killed? She glanced around herself, and it was plain to see that the elves felt no resentment or feeling of betrayal towards her at all.

'At least let me do a little more to help,' she said weakly.

And so Hermione spent a few quite pleasant hours helping to prepare for her own arrival, before the old and familiar sound of her bell tinkling on the wall reminded her that she had to get back to Malfoy's room before dawn. She said goodbye to all of the elves, somehow feeling as if she was going off to her death, and left them as happy as ever as she crept back through the house and up to Malfoy's door. She was surprised when it slid open for her before she had even tried to knock, and entered to find Malfoy waiting with a whole trunk of things packed beside him. He took in her shocked expression.

'What?' he frowned, scanning her for signs of injury. But Hermione shook her head and pointed behind her to the door.

'It opened for me,' she said. 'It doesn't normally do that.'

Malfoy laughed for a long time and raised an eyebrow at her. 'You never figured it out before?' he asked her in amusement. Hermione scowled at him.

'No, I didn't. What?'

'The door opens for you,' Malfoy told her as if speaking to a two year-old, 'if you know it will.'

Hermione blinked at him for a moment. 'That doesn't make any sense,' she said at last, feeling grumpy that he was patronising her. Malfoy sniggered at her.

'Finally outsmarted the great Hermione Granger,' he chuckled. Hermione's scowl deepened but Malfoy paid no attention. 'Anyway, we can discuss that another time. For now, back to more pressing matters…'

He gestured towards the trunk at his feet and then towards Hermione herself. 'There's enough clothes in here to last you weeks and weeks. I also visited my vault again and got some more jewellery for you to better complete the picture.'

Hermione couldn't help but feel a tiny bud of happiness at this development - wearing jewels was a luxury she'd given up on a long time ago. There weren't many good things about being Pearl, but the little things like this were just that.

'And as you already know, the north wing has been organised for you. My parents live in the south, so it seemed like the best option.'

'Yes,' Hermione tried to look pleased by this, but at the same time she was desperate to stay with him. Just as she had almost worked up the courage to ask, Malfoy beat her to it.

'Of course, you won't really have much use for it because you'll stay here with me,' he went on. Hermione paused and backtracked to make sure she had heard him correctly.

'Really? I can stay with you?' she asked in great relief. Malfoy smiled lopsidedly.

'Did you think I was going to leave you over there by yourself?' he said, amused. Hermione shrugged, blushing slightly. She felt foolish now for doubting him. After all, he had promised to look out for her.

'No,' Malfoy purred, 'I want you right here where I can keep an eye on you.' He took a few steps towards her. 'Two eyes, in fact.'

Hermione's breath was instantly caught in her throat at the slightest change to his tone. As he moved forwards she couldn't even remember moving towards him and closing the gap. All she knew was that she was suddenly in his arms and dragging his face towards her, and Malfoy needed no encouragement. She kissed him in relief and desperation and thanks, and he gladly soaked her in.

After a minute Malfoy broke his mouth away from hers and tried to speak. It took several coughs for him to regain the use of his voice, and he just managed to speak in a deep voice. 'Can't do this now,' he panted, though his hands remained firmly gripping her waist. 'Have to get to business.'

Hermione nodded, trying to recapture her own breath. Slowly she peeled herself off him and took several shaky steps back. When Malfoy was ready, he pointed his wand at her and performed the disguising charm. Next he handed her a smart skirt and blouse combination and forced himself not to watch as she modestly changed into them. Her heart was still pounding from their shared kiss, and she could feel a heavy blush filling her face as her mind refused to forget the imprint his touch had left over her skin.

'Ok, I'm ready,' she announced at last, patting her hair in a vain attempt to fix it. Malfoy turned back to her and scanned her body quickly. With a little nod he approved of her outfit, and then they were set.

'My parents are having breakfast right now. We will go and join them, and then retreat,' he instructed her. Hermione nodded to show that she was ok with this, and couldn't help but smile a little at his obviously very much thought-out plans. Without another word, Hermione followed Malfoy out of the room and back through the familiar part of the house until they were right outside the main dining room. Malfoy motioned for her to wait a moment before he stepped into the room with a loud cough to gain attention.

'Mother, Father, we have a house guest,' he boomed in his deep, calm voice. 'Come on through, baby,' he added over his shoulder. Hermione, trying to make her face like that of someone who is used to being called 'baby' on a regular basis, followed him into the room and stopped by his side.

'Narcissa, Lucius,' she greeted the two people of her darkest thoughts with as much ease as she could manage, and for a moment it was worth it to see the looks on both of their faces.

Lucius was wearing a rare smile, and was, as far as Hermione would tell, genuinely happy to see her. Narcissa, on the other hand, could have just swallowed a flaming salamander.

'Dear, we've missed you,' Lucius purred, motioning to Hermione that she should take the seat beside him. She did so with a confident swagger, never taking her eyes off of Narcissa's in an act of enjoyable defiance. Malfoy took the seat beside his mother, watching her closely. Her face remained seemingly frozen in shock for several more moments, before she very slowly turned to raise an eyebrow at her son. Malfoy stared coolly back and took a deep sip from the steaming goblet of coffee in front of him. Narcissa turned her attention back to Hermione, and Lucius was oblivious as the two women had a furious, silent argument.

With a small tilt of her head, Narcissa was asking if Hermione wanted her to reveal the truth to Lucius.

With a tiny purse of the lips, Hermione was replying that she would gladly in turn tell Lucius and Draco about Blaise.

With a minute clenching of her fingers, Narcissa was reminding Hermione that she could curse her anytime she wanted.

With a slight flicker of the eyes, Hermione was retorting that Malfoy would be to her defence at a second's notice.

And with a loud cough, Malfoy was reminding both women that they each had their part to play.

Hermione looked away from Narcissa and turned instead to Lucius, who appeared not to have noticed anything as he had his head buried in the Daily Prophet.

'Lucius, I really hope you haven't been offended that I haven't popped by for a little while,' she simpered to him, enjoying the effect her communicating with her husband was having on Narcissa from the corner of her eye. 'But I intend to stay with Draco for as long as you permit me to.'

'Of course, of course,' Lucius lay down his paper and smiled wolfishly at her. 'It's always a pleasure to see you.'

'And you,' Hermione smiled back sweetly. She was rather having fun, playing Pearl again. Holding it over Narcissa brought her some confidence that she hadn't felt in a long time, and the added danger that it could all blow up in their faces any minute made it a little bit thrilling.

'And what perfect timing that you should come today,' Lucius turned towards his son as he continued. 'Draco and I had a very important men's dinner on tonight, so you can keep Narcissa company.'

Fighting very hard to keep the smile on her face, Hermione stared at Narcissa in a mixture of barely suppressed repulsion and horror. Narcissa stared back with the same forced smile, her eyebrows disappearing under her blonde hair.

'Oh,' Hermione managed to say. She suspected that her eyes were popping out of her face in a most unnatural way. 'How…nice.'

'I know Narcissa's been missing you,' Lucius went on, again not seeming to notice anything strange. 'Why, before the ball the other week she could barely stop talking about you!'

'Thank you, Lucius,' Narcissa said curtly, glaring at her husband. Hermione was now genuinely surprised as she took in this new information. Had Narcissa actually liked Pearl as a friend? Did she regret their new-found enemy status as much as Hermione did?

'And I must say, Draco has been much improved as well since your coming,' Lucius added. Hermione looked at Malfoy, who had been watching his father with a slight frown for some time now.

'I don't recall being told about a meeting tonight, Father,' he said when he realised everyone was now looking at him. Lucius looked strangely triumphant as he replied.

'Well, Draco, perhaps if you actually _attended_ any of the meetings these days, you would know a little more,' he said smoothly, returning to his paper and leaving every person at the table slightly devastated by his surfacing.

'Who's coming, then?' Malfoy asked, and Hermione knew by the way his fists tightened against the table that he was thinking of Seamus.

'Oh, nobody too important,' Lucius waved a hand in disinterest. 'Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, Nott, Sandford, Norfolk…'

Hermione felt a tiny jolt of unease. None of these people were her favourite dinner guests. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to go anywhere near them. With a quick glance in Narcissa's direction she saw that the older woman had a slight flush across her face at the mention of Blaise coming to dinner in her house. Malfoy, on the other hand, was quite relieved. He could handle these people…though Sandford he still hated for the way he looked at Hermione. He would have to keep an eye on him tonight.

The rest of breakfast went by in the same slightly uncomfortable air, and Hermione was quite satisfied to note that Narcissa left the table before anybody else, as though she couldn't bear another second of the tension. When at last Malfoy stood, Hermione followed suit. After again thanking Lucius for his warm welcome (warm for the Malfoys, at least), she followed Malfoy back up the stairs.

'Oh, I've missed this staircase!' she remarked loudly as the made their way back up to Malfoy's room. Malfoy shot her a quizzical look and she shrugged.

'Just for added effect,' she muttered, and remained silent the rest of the walk. When they were back inside Malfoy's room with the door closed behind them, Hermione let out a long sigh of relief.

'How do you think that went?' she asked him nervously, worried by his silence that he was upset with her.

'Pretty well,' Malfoy replied, moving to his desk chair and collapsing into it. 'Mother didn't act any differently than I thought she would, and _he's_ just as oblivious as always, so I think we're safe.'

'Good,' Hermione allowed herself a small smile. 'Oh, but…what about tonight?'

'What about tonight?' Malfoy frowned, as if thinking about the company he was soon to be faced with gave him a nasty headache.

'Do I really have to spend the evening with your mum?' Hermione tried to keep the whining to a minimum, knowing that Malfoy was looking forward to his evening just as much as she. Surprisingly, however, Malfoy let out a bark of laughter at this statement.

'I saw the way you handled her at breakfast. You're more than a match for my mother, I'd say,' he told her reassuringly. Hermione felt pleased that he had noticed, and subconsciously pushed her chest out proudly.

'You know, I think I might have some fun with your dear old mummy tonight, after all,' she grinned. Malfoy smirked.

'That's the spirit,' he said. Then he frowned again. 'Now if only _I _could get out of this dinner…' he leaned forwards and rubbed his hands through his hair in an adorably frustrated manner. Hermione regarded him for a moment before moving forwards to stand before him.

'Now, now, _Draco_,' she cooed, loving to be able to say his name with the freedom of being Pearl, '_I've _seen _you _around all of those men, and I'm telling you, you have no reason to be afraid.' She placed her hands over his and pried them away from his hair, giving them a little reassuring pat.

'I'm not _afraid_,' Malfoy snapped, but he made no move to snatch his hands from hers. 'I just…can't be bothered dealing with them.'

'Listen to me,' Hermione sighed patiently and gave his hands a squeeze. 'When you're around the Death Eaters you're like a different person. Like the old you. They _fear_ you. They look up to you. They would do anything you want them to. Honestly, I've never seen anything quite so impressive.'

Malfoy looked up at her sharply. 'You're screwing with me,' he said slowly, narrowing his eyes. Hermione shook her head.

'I wouldn't say that unless I really thought it,' she said earnestly. Malfoy nodded absentmindedly, as if reflecting over what she had just said. Without seeming to know what he was doing, he pulled Hermione down onto his lap and his hands encircled her waist.

'You're right, of course,' he said, still with a far away look on his face. 'They do fear me.'

'You terrify them,' Hermione confirmed. She nuzzled her head into his neck to offer some further comfort and Malfoy's arms held onto her tightly. And, because she knew how much he would like to hear it, she added very quietly into his ear, 'Especially Jack Sandford.'

Malfoy smirked and showed his agreement to this statement with a tiny growl. Being so close to him was becoming hard for Hermione to bear, and when the low sound escaped his throat she couldn't help but lean in and very gently nip his ear with her teeth. Malfoy's breathing instantly stopped, and in the following deadly silence Hermione could do nothing to hush her own loud and uneven breath. She nudged her tongue against his delicate lobe and Malfoy closed his eyes, pulling her closer. Hermione hesitated only for another tiny moment before letting her mouth move down to his neck, becoming more aggressive as her lips worked their way over his skin. Malfoy moaned quietly and pulled her face around so that he could take her lips for his own and Hermione gladly let him, her hands straying up to run through his hair.

When their kissing reached such a level that neither of them was content to remain seated Malfoy lifted Hermione easily in his arms and carried her to his bed, putting her down with as much gentleness as he could muster in his aggravated state. In the moment that their lips disconnected Hermione couldn't help but let out a whimper and desperately pulled him back towards her. Malfoy happily obliged, lying himself on top of her and immediately welding their bodies together. His hands found their way to her waist and pulled her top free of her skirt, roaming over her small stomach. Another moment and the shirt was over her head and thrown to the floor, and Malfoy's mouth had moved impatiently down to her heaving chest.

Hermione moaned into his feathery hair and parted her legs to allow him to slide in between. She could feel the heat between his legs matching her own, and she grinded herself against him eagerly. Malfoy groaned against her skin and pushed a knee deeper between her thighs, telling her he was as desperate for it as she was. At that moment, however, there was a noise of disgust that came from somewhere near the doorway and both Malfoy and Hermione froze.

'Draco, _dear, _may I talk to you?' Narcissa said in falsely sweet sarcasm, averting her eyes in obvious disdain. Malfoy groaned and rolled off of Hermione, quickly retrieving her top from the floor and passing it to her.

'Don't you know how to knock?' he snapped at his mother in annoyance, smoothing his hair uselessly.

'Save it, Draco,' Narcissa snarled, her face red from not embarrassment but rage. 'Now would you mind telling me what you think you're doing with this mudblood trash?' she hissed, pointing to Hermione on the bed but refusing to look at her. Hermione finished putting her shirt back on and stood beside Malfoy in defiance.

'You know what we're doing,' she said evenly, glaring at the woman before her. 'Lucius knows about me now, so this is the only way I can be safe and-'

'_Don't you dare speak to me! And how dare you use my husbands name?!' _Narcissa shrieked, finally looking at Hermione.

'Mother,' Malfoy said warningly. 'Keep your voice down, and don't speak to her like that -'

'I'll speak to her however I see fit. Draco, I can't believe you. In bed with a mudblood whore!' Narcissa gave Hermione a look of pure venom as she addressed her son.

'You're one to talk,' Hermione retorted quietly. Narcissa froze and stared at Hermione in a mixture of horror and warning. Malfoy frowned slightly as he turned to look at her.

'What?' he said confusedly. Hermione kept her eyes on Narcissa, daring her to say anything more. Narcissa stared back searchingly, trying to figure out if the younger girl was about to give up her secret. After a moment, she decided to test her.

'If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd think that this mudblood has put a spell on you,' she said slowly, still watching Hermione for her reactions. 'You used to always say she was a smart one…are you sure she hasn't been working magic over you?'

Malfoy stared at his mother with a surly expression on his face. 'I am perfectly in control of myself, thank you, Mother.'

'Are you sure, Draco?' Narcissa eyed Hermione with hatred. 'You've changed so much lately. I don't even recognise my own son anymore.'

'I'm sure,' Malfoy said through gritted teeth. 'Now. Go.'

Narcissa regarded her son with cool regret for several seconds before shooting Hermione one last furious glare and spinning on her heel to leave. Once she was gone Hermione felt her heart begin to slow down and she turned to Malfoy with a smile.

'See, what did I say? You can handle anyone without breaking a sweat,' she nudged him playfully, but Malfoy didn't seem to notice. He was still staring after his mother with a frown on his face.

'Draco?' Hermione said, placing her hand on his forearm to get his attention. 'Are you ok?'

Malfoy continued staring for a moment and then seemed to become himself again. He moved his arm out of her grasp and strode over to the bathroom. Hermione stared after him in puzzlement and after hesitating, went to stand in the doorway to see what he was doing. Malfoy seemed to be about to run himself a bath, because he had begun to strip off and was rubbing his neck as though he was in pain.

'Is something wrong?' Hermione asked cautiously, not liking the look on his face one bit.

'No,' Malfoy replied curtly, reaching down to open the taps to full stream. 'I'm fine.'

'You seem…' Hermione trailed off, unsure of what to say. He seemed angry, he seemed upset, he seemed ashamed, he seemed…like his old self a bit?

'Did what she said get to you?' she said in disbelief. Malfoy didn't answer or even look up at her, so Hermione took that for a yes. 'You can't be serious. Draco, why?'

'You don't know everything,' Malfoy replied, climbing into the now steaming tub and sitting down with his back to her. Hermione felt anger bubble up inside her.

'You think what she said was true? That I'm just your damn mudblood whore and you're just some brainless Death Eater clone who fell for some stupid magic trick?' she said angrily, stamping her foot on the cold floor. Malfoy didn't answer but let out a barely audible sigh.

'I. Can't. Believe. You,' Hermione went on, unable to calm herself down. 'I thought you were making some progress? Growing a conscience?'

'Would you just shut up for a minute?' Malfoy muttered in annoyance. Hermione let out a small shriek of indignation.

'You're really going to listen to _her _over me?' she cried, gesturing wildly.

'I said shut _up_, Granger!' Malfoy roared, turning to glare at her in fury. Hermione stared at him, breathing hard. So, this was how it was going to be.

Without another word - because she thought she might burst into tears - Hermione ran from the room and kept going until she was completely lost inside the mansion. She sat down, and, making sure she was completely alone, let herself cry.

--

It was getting late when Hermione finally found her way back to the part of the house that she recognised. Just as she was emerging into the main hall she heard a voice and turned to see Lucius striding towards her.

'Ah, there you are. Dinner is in half an hour - you and Narcissa may join us - and then you girls may do what you please. I'll see you then,' and with that he was off again to do who knew what.

Sighing, Hermione forced her brain into action and deciphered her way towards her new accommodation, which she hadn't thought she would actually have to use. It might actually be nice to stay there, though, because when she stepped into her new bedroom she couldn't help but gasp. It was much warmer than Malfoy's room, with lots of rich mahogany furniture and gold tinged fabric. Her view was to the far side of the garden and as it was on the ground floor opened onto its own little terrace complete with a brook and flowerbed. Hermione knelt down to dip her fingers in the gently streaming water and looked up at the night sky. To her very far right she could make out what she knew must have been Malfoy's balcony, and she could discern in the moonlight a lone figure standing on it, looking out at the garden.

She watched the figure for a few more moments until it suddenly turned and disappeared inside. Supposing that she ought to get ready for dinner, Hermione returned inside and went to shower in her brilliant white and gold bathroom. Her clothes had already been unpacked into the closets, and after drying off she scanned through her selection for something suitable. Quickly she passed over the green - one got sick of it very quickly in this one - and also the red, because she'd already been there and it seemed like a one-off kind of colour. She paused over a silky white gown, which didn't look like anything incredibly special. But that was what she liked about it.

Hermione slide the floor-length dress on and moved to the chest of drawers in search of her borrowed jewellery from Malfoy's vault. She picked out a magnificent diamond necklace and bracelet, and found some sparkling silver shoes by the door. Deeming herself ready, she sat down on the edge of her enormous bed and waited for the grandfather clock in the corner to tick around to half past eight. When it did, she picked herself up and made her way to the main dining room. Taking one quick steadying breath, she stepped inside and prepared herself to greet everyone.

'Ah, there she is now,' she heard Malfoy's voice float across the room, and saw that the men were all standing by the fireplace sipping from glasses and smoking cigars. If they weren't so anti-muggle she could have sworn they were trying for their best James Bond movie-scene impression.

'Sorry I'm late, darling,' Hermione simpered, strutting her was past the guests without glancing at one of them. She met Malfoy's steely gaze and forced smile with one just as cold as he leaned down to let her peck him on the lips. She moved to stand next to him and both put their arms behind their backs, feeling the anger radiate back and forwards between them.

'Pearl, you remember everyone,' Malfoy said lazily, indicating the men surrounding them. Hermione nodded to each of them, who each smiled back seedily, their looks more leering than she liked.

'Hello again,' Jack Sandford greeted her when it was his turn, and his gaze was more intense than any others'. Feeling Malfoy shift in irritation beside her, Hermione grinned at Sandford and made a big show of offering him her hand.

'Jack, I missed you!' she exclaimed, and let him lead her over to a couple of chairs in the other direction. She threw a glance at Malfoy over her shoulder, cocking an eyebrow insolently. Malfoy glared at her furiously but his attention was captured by the rest of his guests immediately.

'How have you been?' Sandford asked Hermione after they had each taken a seat.

'Oh, alright,' Hermione said distractedly, too busy watching Malfoy.

'Er…are you ok, Pearl?' he went on, watching her closely. 'You seem upset.'

'Hmm?' Hermione was barely listening. Sandford followed the direction of her gaze and frowned.

'Are you and Draco having some problems?' he whispered. Hermione jumped slightly and finally turned to look at him.

'No! Why would you say that?' she said quickly and a little too high-pitched. He raised an eyebrow at her.

'You can't stop glaring at him,' he said quietly. 'And I haven't seen Draco in such a foul mood for…actually, Draco's always in a foul mood,' he finished on reassessment. Hermione laughed at this.

'Yes, he is, isn't he? Not a great dinner companion,' she said, rather enjoying being able to insult him. As though he could hear her, Malfoy turned to stare at her again. The coldness of his eyes could have melted fire.

The room suddenly gained two more occupants as Lucius and Narcissa arrived together, her hand placed firmly on his arm. Everyone by the fire moved forward to greet them, and Hermione watched with a satisfied snigger as Narcissa and Blaise hailed each other formally. Over his shoulder Narcissa narrowed her eyes at her, and Sandford noticed this with another small shock.

'Is something going on with you and the Malfoys?' he asked Hermione in a most urgent tone. 'Do they not like you? Have they been treating you badly?' Hermione turned to say something in annoyance, but upon seeing that Malfoy was still watching her instead she laughed and reached out to pat his hand.

'Oh, you're funny!' she told Sandford, who seemed momentarily frozen by her touch. 'Come on, let's sit together for dinner.'

As Hermione slid past Malfoy on her way to the table he leaned down to whisper in her ear. 'What do you think you're doing?' he hissed.

'If I'm just your whore I'll act like one,' Hermione hissed back.

'And that dress is practically see-through,' Malfoy said, casting a despicable glance at her almost discernible nipples. Hermione smirked.

'Suffer,' she said, glancing back at Sandford over her shoulder. He caught up to them and Malfoy immediately turned away in disgust.

Everyone took a seat around the long dining table, both Malfoy men taking an end each. Sandford, following Hermione like a puppy, let himself take the seat beside her right down the other end from Malfoy. Unfortunately for Hermione, this also placed her directly opposite Narcissa, who was seated on Lucius's other side. Both women gave each other a look of frustrated contempt before turning to the people beside them.

Dinner was an ugly affair for Hermione. Like all Malfoy dinners, it had entirely too many courses, which meant Hermione had to put up with both Lucius, Narcissa and Sandford for a lot longer than she would have liked. She tried not to listen to the majority of the conversation, although it was mostly tame. She suspected the Death Eater talk would be saved for when she and Narcissa left.

Malfoy, meanwhile, found himself unable to stop himself from watching Hermione. Firstly, in anger as he saw the look on Sandford's face every time he addressed her. And second, because he couldn't believe how amazing she looked in the outfit she had picked out for herself. He wanted to take her away from everyone and tell her he was sorry for being such an ass earlier. And Hermione, for her part, was so sick of her company that she was dying to collapse into Malfoy's arms and apologise for being so melodramatic and unfeeling.

But before either of them had a chance to speak dinner was finished and Narcissa and Hermione were being shunted from the room. They ended up in a smaller sitting room down the hall, where they were apparently expected to have millions of things to talk about. Instead each of them took a seat as far away from each other as possible and looked at anything but each other.

After a very long and painful silence, Hermione finally decided to speak. 'Just so you know, I wouldn't tell Draco your little secret anyway. You see, I actually care about how he would take it, unlike someone who just wants to save their own neck.'

'Your concern for my son is very touching,' Narcissa sneered. 'But you forget that you too are just looking to save your own neck. You little whore, using his bed as a hidey hole from the rest of the world.'

'It's very rich, you calling me a whore.'

'Yes, I am rich. And those diamonds around your neck are as close as you're ever going to get to any of our fortune.' Hermione laughed at this.

'What, you think I'm out to marry your son? You think I'm after your money?'

Narcissa laughed too. 'Of course not. A Malfoy would never marry a stinking mudblood like you.'

'No,' Hermione agreed. 'You just like the murderers and the rapists, don't you?'

Narcissa glared at her. More quietly, because they had almost been shouting, she went on. 'You think you're better than me. But look at you. In that dress and those jewels. Strutting around this house like you own it. Throwing yourself all over everyone. You're no different from me. You think Draco's falling in love with you? That he's going to change, and make you safe? That you two will live happily ever after?'

Hermione couldn't think of anything to say because these were the thoughts that went through her own head. Narcissa laughed again.

'My son is a Malfoy and a Death Eater. He is also a murderer. So don't think you're any different than me.'

'At least I'm not sleeping around with his friends,' Hermione replied a little weakly. Narcissa huffed.

'Maybe not yet. But you will be. That Sandford is already panting for you.'

'That doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with him,' Hermione said quite reasonably, still trying to recover from Narcissa's big speech. The older woman snorted.

'He's rich, you know. Powerful. Quite handsome. Why not?' Hermione narrowed her eyes.

'You seem quite into him. Isn't Blaise enough for you?' she said slyly. Narcissa snarled at her. 'Or are you just trying to shoo me away from Draco?' she went on. At that moment the sound of voices filled the hallway - the men must be finished with their meeting.

'You're a stupid mudblood whore and you're going to get everything you deserve,' Narcissa said blandly as the sound of footsteps made their way towards their room.

'So glad we had this talk, _Mum,_' Hermione smiled and stood up. Before Narcissa had time to do anything but redden with rage, the door opened and Blaise appeared.

'Hope I'm not interrupting,' he said, winking at Narcissa. Narcissa glared at him furiously and looked back at Hermione in alarm, but Hermione simply let out a little chuckle and sauntered past him back into the hall.

'I'll let you two say goodbye,' she said as she passed him. She headed towards the group that stood by the door saying goodbye. Her eyes immediately found Malfoy's and they regarded each other warily. She didn't want to be mad at him anymore, and neither did he.

'The garden,' he mouthed to her, and Hermione nodded discreetly. She didn't need to ask where. As Malfoy began to show his guests out she casually strolled away and made her way through the dark halls. She crept out into the garden and for a moment stopped to let the peace of the night wash over her. After almost a minute had gone by Hermione moved again, making her way to the edge of the lake. The wildness of the garden surprised her; it seemed that the house elves had gone overboard planting things lately, and by the time Hermione found the water's edge she felt as though she was standing in the middle of a forest clearing.

For a few minutes she sat and watched the slivers of the moon reflected in the water. It wasn't until a cool breeze swept through her and she let out an involuntary shiver that Hermione began to wonder if Malfoy was on his way. Surely he felt just as regretful as her about their fight earlier? Hermione couldn't wait to tell him how sorry she was, how stupid the whole thing had been. So where was he?

As if on cue, there came the sudden rustling of nearby leaves and the sound of footsteps too heavy to belong to a woman. But was it Malfoy? She couldn't be sure.

'Draco?' Hermione called out, her heart fluttering nervously as the heavy footsteps continued to approach. She couldn't see a thing and was dearly hoping that whoever it was couldn't see her either…except of course she had just given up her position to any attackers.

'Draco, is that you?' she called again, knowing that there was no doubt that the person was making their way towards her.

'No, it's me,' a deep voice finally replied. Hermione felt the panic rise as into the tiny clearing stepped…

'Jack?' her voice squeaked a little in surprise but Hermione felt a little calmed to see that it was only Sandford who stood before her. 'What are you doing here?'

'I came to find you,' Sandford said pleasantly, making no move towards her at all. Hermione felt that there was something wrong but couldn't explain to herself why.

'Is it Draco? Is he alright?' she asked in confusion. She scanned the darkness around her once more, but couldn't see or hear anybody else approaching.

'No, no, Draco is fine,' Sandford said with a casual wave of his hand. But Hermione saw a nervous flicker cross his eyes.

'Then…why are you here?' she said again, feeling the panic return. Something was definitely not right about this…

'Oh, it's ok, you don't have to be afraid,' Sandford seemed to catch the tone of Hermione's voice and at last made to move towards her with his arms outstretched in a seemingly calming gesture. Hermione backed up several steps.

'Stop, please!' she said, trying to sound in command but feeling terrified. Draco had been right about Sandford all along, then.

'But I can't,' he said, his voice suddenly heavy. And before Hermione could turn, or run, or let out even one more breath to muster up a yell, Sandford had wrapped his arms around her and crashed his lips down upon hers.

The kiss lasted only for as long as it did for Hermione's shock to wear off, and then Sandford was pulling away as she slapped at his face. But just as Hermione opened her mouth to let out a terrified shriek, Sandford whispered into her ear something she had not been expecting to hear.

'I'm in love with you, Pearl. I can rescue you from this house and from everything I know you're afraid of. Come away with me now and you'll be safe forever.'

--

**Well! I really enjoyed that ending, how about you? What will Hermione do now that she's been given an out?? Will she go with Jack? Will she leave Malfoy? Why oh why did he have to choose now to start acting like an idiot again! Couldn't have picked a worse time...**

**Anyway, please let me know what you thought :) Trying to get up to 1,000 reviews and I would love if you helped! New chapter of _It's Just Me _coming soon and lots of love xx**


	27. The Last Chance Lover

**Ok, I know I said that _It's Just Me_ was coming next...but I just had to finish this chapter to celebrate ONE THOUSAND REVIEWS!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!! Thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and who's followed the story all the way through. Special thanks to** **darkangel942, who I believe was my 1000th review, and also to draco's sweetheart who gave me many reviews :D And also to seriana14 and demimi10, whose reviews made me laugh. Lots of you had really funny reactions to the last chapter actually, I'm glad you care so much about the characters to get so passionate! In fact I don't think I've ever enjoyed reading reviews as much as I did for the last chapter.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this very special chapter, it was really fun to write and hopefully it is just as fun to read. Also, something a few people have been asking: I just recently met a girl who is actually called Pearl and she is very lovely. So there you go, it is actually a real name! Not so silly! Back to the story...**

--

Hermione couldn't believe what was happening.

'Jack -'

A Death Eater was pronouncing his love for her.

'What -'

He wanted to her to run away with him.

'Why -'

He was offering her a way out. Seriously.

'Pearl,' Sandford continued, his arms still holding her tightly. 'I've been watching you all night and I know you're not happy here. I love you and I think you love me too. We would be so happy together!'

'Jack, please!' Hermione spluttered, struggling out of his grasp. 'That's very touching but I'm not in love with you!'

'Well, maybe not now but we would have time,' Sandford went on unfazed.

'Listen,' Hermione began again, 'I don't know what you think you saw tonight but I'm_ fine_ here -'

'Oh come on, Pearl,' he laughed. 'You're really going to tell me that you're happy with Draco Malfoy?'

'I -' Hermione paused. She wouldn't exactly call her life a happy one. But…but lately…

'Everybody fears them,' he breathed, suddenly looking a little scared himself. He glanced around, as though suddenly aware that Malfoy could arrive any minute, and grabbed Hermione's arm.

'Wait - what are you doing?!' Hermione cried, but he was already pulling her away from the lake and deeper into the garden.

'Don't want to be interrupted,' Sandford muttered as he kept moving too quickly for Hermione to be able to catch her footing. After a minute of pushing and pulling he stopped but didn't let go of her arm.

'As I was saying,' Sandford went on as if nothing had happened while Hermione continued to struggle in his arms, 'Everyone's scared of the Malfoys. You can't seriously want to be involved in this family?'

'You don't know them like I do!' Hermione panted, still trying to pull herself free.

'Pearl, marrying into this family would be like signing your own death warrant!'

'That's a stupid exaggeration,' Hermione snapped. 'And we're not getting married!'

She felt so overwhelmed. How dare he assume that she was in love with him? Or that she would just run away with him? Or that he could just kiss her like that? But maybe it was her fault for leading him on at dinner…Narcissa had called her a whore and she had acted like one. Maybe Sandford had assumed that she was just like all the other Death Eater women, prepared to sleep around and completely lacking morals?

And why was everyone talking about marriage? They were barely adults, for Merlin's sake! And they had only been "dating" for less than a year!

'That's the way you're headed if you stay, Pearl. I'm just telling you how it is,' Sandford shrugged, and at last let go of Hermione. His sudden reasonableness made Hermione uncertain, and instead of running away like she had been meaning to a moment ago she stood, unsure of what to do next.

Was he really serious? Would he actually take her away with him and hide her from everything bad? She had given up hope long ago that there was some kind of saviour out there, and the idea seemed too good to be true. She could be safe for the first time in years. She could - almost - be free.

Seeing that she was thinking, Sandford pressed his advantage. 'You must be wondering how I plan to hide us?' he guessed, and Hermione nodded mutely. That was one of her biggest questions. 'I guess you women miss out on a lot, but I can tell you that there is Dark Magic in this world that you would never have dreamed was possible. I could hide you, us, so that _no one _could ever find us.'

Hermione blinked up at him. Could it be true?

'Not Draco. Not Lucius. Not even…the Dark Lord,' he shivered slightly but Hermione could see no lie in his eyes.

'Jack…' Hermione began, but she had no idea what to say. 'Jack…I just can't even begin to understand what you're trying to tell me right now,' she said at last, and it was the truth.

'That's ok,' Sandford replied, and he stepped forwards to gently stroke her hair. Hermione wanted to recoil but she couldn't bring herself to move. 'I love you, Pearl.'

He leaned in towards her, but before she could stop him the surrounding trees filled with the sound of shouting.

'Hermione!' Malfoy was calling to her. Sandford jumped away from her at the sound of his voice and looked around in fear.

'Shit, it's Malfoy!' he muttered, and looked at Hermione in puzzlement. 'Who's he talking to?'

'Hermione!' Malfoy's voice roared again, sounding slightly more panicked. Sandford looked at her in confusion.

'Uh…that's my middle name,' Hermione stammered, straining her ears to see if she could hear him approaching. 'He calls me Hermione when we're alone.'

Sandford accepted this easily, seeming to be more worried about being found in the middle of the garden with Draco Malfoy's girlfriend. As the sound of footsteps and thrashing leaves came closer he grabbed Hermione urgently by the shoulders and before Hermione could stop him, he was kissing her again.

She was helpless with his hands pinning her arms to her sides and his mouth completely covering hers, so she waited for him to pull away, which he did quickly.

'I'd better go,' he said urgently. 'But please think about what I've said. I'll be waiting for you at midnight tomorrow night at the same spot I found you tonight.'

And then he was gone, streaking off through the trees in the opposite direction to Malfoy's footsteps. Hermione stumbled to the ground from the force of his departure and let out a loud cry of pain as she landed awkwardly on her ankle.

'Hermione!' Malfoy called again, suddenly very close.

'I'm here!' she called back, and a moment later he came crashing into view, his lighted wand held high above his head. He rushed forwards and bent down beside her.

'What happened?' he asked her pressingly, lifting her to her feet. Hermione let out another cry of pain as her ankle moved awkwardly and Malfoy quickly replaced her on the ground, kneeling down beside her.

'Tell me what happened!' he commanded in his booming voice, and Hermione couldn't help but shiver at his impressiveness.

'N- nothing!' she stammered quickly, grasping her ankle in pain.

'Why did you fall?' he urged her, prying her hands back so he could take a look. With his wand tip up close to her leg it became very obvious that something was wrong. When Hermione saw the swelling she moaned in panic.

'Shit,' Malfoy muttered, quickly assessing the damage and deciding it would be better to fix it in a safer place. 'Tell me, why did you fall?' he said again. Hermione struggled to think of a quick answer.

'You…you startled me!' she said desperately. 'When I heard you yelling - the wrong name, I might add - it gave me a fright and I fell over!'

Malfoy blinked at her. 'I heard voices…' he said, suddenly lifting his wand to observe the darkness around them.

'There's no one there,' Hermione told him as reassuringly as she could.

'I heard voices,' Malfoy repeated stubbornly. Hermione let out a little moan of pain.

'Draco, I don't know what you're talking about! Please - my ankle -'

Malfoy snapped back to the situation at hand. 'Right,' he muttered to himself. Taking his wand between his teeth, he lifted Hermione into his arms and began to walk carefully back through the trees towards the house.

'I think…I think my room is closer,' Hermione panted, short of breath from the pain. Malfoy nodded and moved off to the right, bypassing the back doors which led back into the main hall. After another minute or so of walking he reached the small terrace from which Hermione had sat watching him earlier in the evening. Malfoy kicked open the door with his foot and navigated the two of them inside, careful not to get Hermione's foot caught on the frame. He placed her gently down onto the bed and ripped his wand from his mouth, flicking it to the ceiling to light the chandelier.

'Don't move,' he instructed her as he bent down to examine her in proper light. He slipped her shoe off carefully and threw it to the floor. Hermione lay back and tried not to think about the pain, instead concentrating on coming up with a better explanation.

After some gentle prodding Malfoy straightened up and sighed. 'I think it's just sprained,' he told her more calmly.

'Can you fix it?' Hermione asked, relief flooding her voice. Malfoy gave her a look of heavy sarcasm and reached for his wand again. Within seconds the pain felt as though it was lifting out of her body and Hermione let out a small shocked laugh.

'That was it?' she asked in disbelief.

'You don't think much of my magic skills,' Malfoy noted dryly, and Hermione let out another shaky laugh.

'You just make it look so easy,' she told him. 'If you find it that easy, why couldn't you have done it back there?' And then she silently cursed herself for bringing it up, because it would surely bring his attention back to the fact that he had found her lying on the ground in a very strange spot.

'If it had been broken I could have made it worse,' Malfoy said, as if it were fairly obvious. Which, really, it was, Hermione decided.

'Right,' she mumbled, sitting up and swinging her feet off the bed. But before she could stand up, Malfoy put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently back down.

'You've avoided my questions long enough now,' he said, sitting down beside her and frowning. 'So tell me _now_ what happened back there.'

'What do you think?' Hermione shook her head at him. 'I was walking through the garden, I heard your voice and I fell over,' she said easily. The story had completely been made up while he had examined her ankle and now that the pain was gone she found it much easier to lie.

'Why were you in that part of the garden?' Malfoy pressed her, still unsatisfied with her answer. Hermione sighed and looked at him as if looking at a five year-old.

'It was quite dark out there, you know. People get lost sometimes.'

'I found it pretty easy in the moonlight to make _my_ way to the lake,' Malfoy said slightly accusingly. Hermione blinked.

'This is your house. You've lived here a lot longer than me, so it wouldn't surprise me if you could find your way through the whole place in pitch black darkness.'

Malfoy regarded her as she stared back coolly. When he still didn't seem happy she felt slightly annoyed. 'What are you trying to get at here, Draco?' she demanded, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. Malfoy shook his head clear and looked at her suddenly mournfully.

'Nothing,' he said sadly. 'I don't mean to distrust you.'

'Well, that doesn't stop you,' Hermione snapped. Slowly, Malfoy nodded his head. Sighing, Hermione sat down beside him again. It was now or never to talk about what had happened today. Knowing that he wasn't going to start it off easily, she decided to jump in.

'I was very hurt by the way you treated me today,' she told him seriously. 'I still can't believe that you let those stupid things your mum said get to you.'

Malfoy bristled slightly in response to this. 'That's because you have no idea what my life has been like. You act like you know all about me, but remember who I am and what's expected of me. Remember what I used to be like. It's not as easy as you seem to think it is to change so dramatically in such a short space of time.'

Hermione let this sentiment sink in for a moment and suddenly felt foolish. Of course it was stupid to expect Draco Malfoy to go from murderous Death Eater to actually decent human being in just a few weeks.

'Ok, I understand that. I also understand that you've been closer to your mother than anyone else so you would listen to her first. But still…you treated me like I didn't matter at all.'

'I guess I did,' Malfoy inclined his head.

'You know you're the only person I have in this world…as pathetic as that is,' Hermione smiled weakly and Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her.

'Hey,' he said, indignant, 'being friends with Draco Malfoy isn't so shabby. You could do a lot worse.'

A brief flashback to where she had been before the Malfoy Manor, and Hermione shivered. 'Yes, I could.'

'But whatever,' Malfoy went on more seriously. 'I didn't mean to take my anger out on you. So…sorry. Again.' Hermione grinned at him.

'Apology accepted. Again. And - I'm sorry too.'

'For what?' Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her. Hermione pretended to think for a moment.

'Uh…for acting like a slut at your dinner? For being a right bitch to your mum - not that you were there but anyway, fists could have started flying any second -'

'Wait…what?' Malfoy half-laughed, half-groaned in exasperation, but Hermione cut across him quickly without any explanation.

'But really, sorry for expecting…you know. For you to be a different you.'

Shrugging, Malfoy frowned. 'It is me. Just not all the way there yet.' Hermione nodded in agreement.

'You'll get there,' she told him soothingly, and she smiled. Malfoy let out a deep breath and regarded her for a long time.

'With you around, I just might,' he said at last. Hermione stared back into those grey eyes and didn't know what to say.

Because she knew this was true. Without her to help - to push - him, he had no reason to change.

Without her, he would just be Draco Malfoy again for the rest of his life.

Without her, he probably wouldn't be happy.

But without him, she just might be.

--

Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of very distant screaming. After establishing that it was just Narcissa, she groaned, feeling very grumpy to be woken up, and rolled over. Malfoy was still sleeping soundly beside her, though his brow was wrinkled as though he was having a bad dream. With her index finger, Hermione gently smoothed it out. Malfoy twitched slightly, then rolled over and continued sleeping. Watching him sourly, Hermione decided to get up and have a shower.

It was lovely to be able to stand beneath the streaming water, after using Malfoy's bath for so long. Although, of course, that had been a major improvement on what she had had before that…nothing. She bathed quickly, washing off slight remnants of dirt from her trip around the garden the previous night, and returned to her bedroom to get dressed. After picking out a plain pair of black pants and a cream blouse, she looked around the room for something to do.

Malfoy - damn him - was still asleep. He had stayed with her after their talk last night, though nothing had happened. Both of them had said they were tired and turned the lights off very quickly, though both of them had also stayed awake for a long time, pondering their separate thoughts and dilemmas. While Hermione had had much more worrying things on her mind, she had spared a few moments thoughts to the happy idea that Malfoy mustn't just want her around for sex, because he had seemed completely satisfied just to go to sleep.

After deciding that it would be much kinder to leave him sleeping, Hermione left the room and slowly moved through the halls, following the sound of Narcissa's wails. Evidently her morning temper tantrum was lasting a little longer than usual today.

Hermione traced the sound all the way to the dining room, where she stood outside in the hallway for a moment to listen. At such a close proximity the high-pitched shrieks actually became coherent. Hermione couldn't help but giggle a little in satisfaction as she listened to her enemy moan and scream about every little ridiculous thing she could think of - evidently there were several poor house elves in the room with her who were taking the brunt of her rage, something that Hermione felt sure she had helped induce with their little verbal battle last night.

Now feeling a little guilty, Hermione decided that it was her duty to march into the room and save the elves from Narcissa's anger before it got more out of hand. And as this thought occurred to her, Hermione realised something: if she left, the elves would have no one to protect them anymore. They would have no one to visit them, to tell them they were doing a good job, or to give them any love advice. Hadn't they just told her that their lives had gotten better lately, because of how she had changed Malfoy?

With a little moan of exasperation, Hermione walked away from the dining room. Without thinking about where she was going, she made her way upstairs to the library. She hadn't visited it for a long time, though she had technically been given permission to use it whenever she wanted. But Hermione wasn't in the mood to read at that moment. How could she, when the hours were ticking down until she had to make her decision? Now that she was alone, it seemed unavoidable. She sat down in the reading corner, without a book in her hand, and began to take a serious look at her possibilities.

As she thought about it, Hermione decided that her life was very bleak. Here she was, living in disguise as a fake witch in the Malfoy household. Her hostess hated her guts and could at any second expose her to her murderous and sadistic husband, who on the other hand made Hermione's skin crawl just to be near him. And then there was Malfoy. What could she say? The Draco Malfoy she had always known was just beginning to fade away and Hermione wanted to be there to see what was underneath. She hadn't yet had the time to think about her feelings for him in full…but now that she did she couldn't deny that she…that she…loved him?

But what did all that matter if both of them would have to live the rest of their lives in a ridiculous charade? Surely it wouldn't last forever; their time already seemed to be running out. Narcissa knew, Seamus knew. Who knew what they could do? It was really a very obvious choice.

If Hermione left with Jack she would be safe from the Malfoys and all the dangers that came with them. Lucius would never be able to touch her. Narcissa would never be able to taunt her. But, of course, Jack really had no idea who she was. So really, it would be a charade anyway. Would Jack care if she told him the truth? Or could she just overpower him and make it on her own? She didn't have a wand - she still couldn't touch one - and she couldn't leave the Malfoy property. How would she explain that to Jack?

Could she really just abandon the house elves? Just as their lives were becoming a tiny bit better they would be ruined again.

And she couldn't even begin to think what would happen to Malfoy. Would he understand her decision? Would she even explain it to him, or just disappear? Would he keep fighting his own legacy and become a decent person? Hermione somehow doubted it. Would he miss her? Would he look for her? Jack had said they wouldn't be able to be found…

And maybe if she was out in the real world, not stuck in this house, she could fight. She could build up a resistance. It would take time but it had to start somewhere or Voldemort would rule forever. Surely Jack would be able to reverse the spells that Malfoy put on her, and she could get a wand from somewhere. Imagine, having magic again. What she could do with it. She could be great, just as she always was.

So many questions. So many things to consider. Hermione closed her eyes and slid down in her seat, her mind hurting from so many thoughts.

What it really came down to was this: was she searching for a reason to leave, or was she searching for a reason to stay? Neither way would she really be free. Both ways she would be living a lie. One way she would have magic and the chance to save wizardkind. The other way she would be with the man she loved.

There was really question about it. She knew what she had to do.

--

Meanwhile, in another corner of the house, Malfoy was just beginning to wake up. Upon discovering that he was alone, Malfoy decided that a long, hot shower was in order. Afterwards, he left Hermione's quarters and headed off to find her.

Passing the dining room, Malfoy poked his head in and saw his mother sitting alone and looking very moody. 'Something wrong?' he asked with a snigger, approaching the table and reaching for a piece of toast. Narcissa glanced up at him and looked away with a snort, deciding not to dignify him with an answer.

'Giving me the silent treatment?' he went on, taking the seat opposite her. He was in a good mood this morning, having cleared his conscience to Hermione last night, and was happy to see his mother squirm a little. When Narcissa remained silent once more, Malfoy chuckled.

'I know you don't like her, Mother, but she's not going anywhere so you're going to have to get used to it,' he told her with a touch of seriousness. Still getting nothing from his audience, Malfoy became bored and decided his time would be better spent looking for Hermione. But as he got up to leave Narcissa spoke at last.

'That's what you think,' she muttered to her son's back. Malfoy paused.

'Didn't quite catch that,' he said, turning back with a cheery, expectant smile. Narcissa glared at him.

'I said, if you think that she's going to stay here forever…you are very wrong, Draco,' she said slowly and clearly. And she smiled. Rather than riling at these words, Malfoy's own happy expression stayed perfectly in place.

'You know what, Mother?' he said loudly, strolling to the window and picking at an imaginary speck of dirt on his jacket. 'I think that if she were to leave, I wouldn't be the only one to miss her.'

Narcissa raised her eyebrows at her son. 'What's the supposed to mean?' she said, furious. Whistling, Malfoy shrugged and turned to leave once more.

'I'm just saying, I think the reason you're so bitter is because you lost your best friend. No? Suit yourself.' And before Narcissa could defend herself from this statement Malfoy was gone.

--

Hermione was standing in one of the more distant library aisles scanning through a dusty old book when Malfoy found her.

'Hey,' he greeted her. Hermione jumped, not having heard him come in, and dropped the old volume on the floor.

'Hi,' she gasped, clutching her chest in surprise.

'Sorry, didn't mean to scare you,' Malfoy grinned and bent to pick up the book. He brushed the dust off its cover and chuckled.

'"_Tracking Spells and Magical Shadows of the Dark Arts"_,' he read aloud. 'What are you reading about that for? You know this is my father's ridiculous dark arts section.'

'I know,' Hermione muttered. 'I was just browsing.'

'Really,' Malfoy placed the book back in its place and smiled at her. 'Missed you this morning.'

'You looked nice and peaceful in your sleep,' Hermione smiled back at him fondly. 'As opposed to when you're awake,' she added slyly.

'Oh, ha ha ha,' Malfoy drawled sarcastically. Hermione laughed and stepped forwards to lean her head against his chest. Malfoy hugged her gently and rested his chin on the top of her head. As he inhaled her scent overwhelmed him and he let out a long sigh.

'I'm so glad we sorted everything out last night,' he murmured against her skin.

'Me too,' Hermione agreed, nodding along with him.

'I feel like you're giving me the chance to be a good person for once,' he went on. Hermione nodded again, not knowing what to say.

'And, you know, I don't think my mother will be a problem for long.' Hermione looked up at him in alarm.

'What?!' she squeaked. Malfoy blinked for a moment and then laughed.

'Don't worry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that I don't think she hates you as much as you think she does,' he explained calmly. Hermione relaxed again.

'Oh,' she said. 'You obviously didn't hear her tantrum this morning, then?'

'Must have slept through it,' Malfoy shrugged, still smiling. 'Trust me. I know her.'

'Mm,' was all Hermione could say. How well did he really think he knew her?

'Anyway,' Malfoy went on, as though they had been in the middle of a very interesting discussion. 'Do you want to do something?'

'Like what?' Hermione asked, casting her mind around the mansion. There didn't seem to be much they could do there.

'What do _you _want to do?' Malfoy asked her pointedly. Hermione smiled at his thoughtfulness and had a quick think.

'How about…something normal people do?' she said at last. Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

'What kind of things do normal people do?' he asked amusedly. Hermione shrugged.

'I don't know - wizard chess, gobstones, something silly like that.'

'A _game?_' Malfoy said slowly, his eyebrows going so far up Hermione wanted to laugh. Instead she stuck out her bottom lip and looked up at him in defiance.

'What's so bad about that?' she said stubbornly.

'It's bad…for _you_,' Malfoy smirked. 'Because I've never lost at wizard chess.'

'I'm glad you're so open to new experiences, then,' Hermione smirked back and began to walk away. 'Come on, let's not play in here.'

'My best set's in the tea room a few doors down,' Malfoy called to her back, and she smiled over her shoulder as she disappeared behind a bookcase. Malfoy grinned and began to follow after her.

But as he turned to leave, the title of the book that Hermione had been reading caught his eye again, and this time Malfoy actually stopped to think about what it meant. She was reading about tracking spells and shadows. And she had seemed jumpy. And now she was…_distracting _him with chess?

He shook his head. The idea was absurd. She wasn't acting funny at all, and she had just picked up one of hundreds of stupid old books. There was nothing to be getting worked up over.

But as it had already been established, Malfoy had not changed overnight and some of his old habits still stubbornly remained. Which is why later that afternoon, after he had repeatedly beaten Hermione at wizard chess, suspicion led him to make the walk to the lake's edge and search for something. Anything.

--

Hermione stood before her wardrobe, unmoving. It was getting late, too late for her liking, and she could feel the beginnings of doubt creeping into her mind. She had just left Malfoy half an hour ago after a lovely, relaxing day in his company. It had been the first time she'd felt normal in this house; they had sat by the fire playing chess for hours, and she hadn't even cared that she'd lost. It had felt so wonderful. Just before dinner they had separated for a while - Malfoy had needed to run a couple of quick errands - and then they had eaten together. He had seemed quieter when he came back, and if Hermione had given more thought to it she would have wondered why. But she had been too busy thinking about her own problems.

Now it was creeping up to midnight and she was still standing before her wardrobe, staring at her clothes. She could have them packed in a couple of minutes. Or she could leave them behind.

She laughed. Why was she even thinking about it?

There was a knock at her door and Hermione whipped around. 'Who is it?' she called.

Without answering, Malfoy opened the door and let himself in. He looked distinctly ruffled and before Hermione could asked what was wrong he had strolled right up to her and gripped her heavily by the arms.

'I think I'm freaking out here,' he began in an unusually low, quiet voice that instantly grabbed Hermione's attention, 'but I just want to make sure: tell me one more time what you were doing in the gardens last night.'

Hermione blinked up at him in shock. 'W…what?' she stammered, her heart hammering in her chest. He knew. Somehow, he knew everything.

'Tell me you weren't with someone out there?' Malfoy went on in the same deadly voice. Hermione opened and closed her mouth, no words coming to mind. It was hopeless to lie now.

'It's not what you think,' she finally managed to say as calmly as possible, and Malfoy tilted his head slightly to the side.

'No? Well, maybe you could tell me what I'm thinking? BECAUSE I DON'T FUCKING KNOW WHAT TO THINK!' he was suddenly yelling, and Hermione flinched in his arms.

'Draco, please!' she cried, trying to free herself from his grip. But Malfoy held on tightly, refusing to look away from her suddenly-watery eyes.

'Explain it to me now,' he said in forced calmness, and Hermione whimpered quietly at the barely suppressed rage she could feel radiating from his every pore. 'Now, Hermione!' he barked.

'Draco, you're scaring me!' Hermione pleaded, too scared to look into his face.

'I found the footsteps. Whose were they?' he demanded, shaking her into submission.

'Draco,' Hermione said again, swatting at his hands.

'Tell me!'

'Please, stop -'

'Tell me!'

'Draco, just wait -'

'TELL ME!'

'JACK SANDFORD'S!' Hermione suddenly roared, and Malfoy froze in shock. 'They were Jack Sandford's! Ok?'

Malfoy's grip went limp and Hermione shook herself out of his hands, staggering away from him.

'Sandford?' Malfoy said hoarsely. 'You were with Sandford?' Hermione wanted to yell and rage at him some more for the way he had acted, but she heard the crack in his voice and she took pity on him.

'I told you, it's not what you think,' she said as calmly as she could. Malfoy still seemed in shock.

'You…and Sandford?' he said slowly. Hermione shook her head in frustration.

'_No!_ Damn it, Draco, listen to me!' she stomped her foot angrily and Malfoy straightened up.

'Ok,' he said a little more sanely. 'I'm listening. The truth now.'

Hermione took a deep breath. She owed it to him to explain.

'I went to meet you like we were supposed to. But Jack must have seen me leave and followed…he met me instead of you and he told me…he told me that he was in love with me.'

Malfoy inhaled sharply but Hermione kept talking, wanting to get it all out quickly.

'He pulled me further into the trees and I couldn't fight him off. He wanted me to run away with him, he said he could hide us forever with some kind of dark magic…'

The book Hermione had been reading suddenly materialised in Malfoy's mind. It all fit.

'And then we heard you coming, and he ran away and that's when I fell,' Hermione finished breathlessly. Malfoy stared at her for a long time, absorbing everything she had just said.

'What did you…what did you say to all this?' he said shakily, after a long silence.

'I was too shocked to say anything,' Hermione replied honestly. Malfoy nodded slowly.

'And that's what you've been thinking about all day?' he said, putting her distance and jumpiness together with the rest of it.

'Well…yes,' Hermione said quietly. It took a moment for Malfoy to realise what this meant.

She had been thinking about it all day. She had been researching it in the library. She was going to do it. She had already made up her mind. She was going to leave him. She was running away from everything.

'You want to go?' he said in a horribly croaky voice. Hermione winced at the very sound of it and shook her head.

'I didn't say that,' she said evenly. But Malfoy couldn't believe it.

'Of course you do. Why wouldn't you? What is there for you here? Servitude, torture, bullying, deceit, disguise, fear…'

'Well, when you put it like that,' Hermione tried to joke, but Malfoy could not laugh. Something was happening to him. The strangest feeling was coursing through his entire body, and he couldn't control it and he couldn't identify it. But all of a sudden he knew exactly what he had to do, that it was his last hope, that it was all he ever wanted.

'I'm here,' he said sharply, looking at her with a sudden intensity that Hermione had never in her life seen before.

'Yes, I can see you,' Hermione said uncertainly, confused by what he was doing.

'No,' Malfoy stepped forwards. 'I'm _here.'_

Hermione didn't understand. 'Ok?' she said, but Malfoy shook his head.

'You're not listening now, Hermione. I'm here, and I love you.'

Hermione stared at the man before her whose grey eyes were boring straight into her head. She could hardly dare to believe that she had heard him correctly, her heart was whooshing so loudly past her ears.

'What did you say?' she said at last, suddenly taking in the look on his face with new light.

'Hermione,' Malfoy stepped towards her again so that he was standing right in front of her. 'I love you. I've loved you for so long I didn't even realise it until now, when you said you might leave me. Only I can't stand the thought of you going anywhere that isn't with me, because you've turned me into a completely different person and I want to thank you for it every day for the rest of my life. You've taken me from a meaningless existence in the darkness to a life that actually seems worth living, and I can only really see it all now, right now at this very moment. Hermione, don't go, because if you go I want to go with you, and if I lose you I don't want to live. I love you, Hermione, I love you so much.'

And with that Malfoy drew Hermione to him and kissed her in a way he had never kissed her before, and there was a whole new wetness to it from the tears that were spilling down her cheeks, but neither of them even noticed. Hermione couldn't take it all in. She could not believe it. She pulled away from him and each of them gasped for breath.

She didn't know what to do or say. Why did he have to chose this moment to tell her all this? She couldn't even begin to understand it…she couldn't think straight at all. She had a decision to make and she had already chosen. The clock was ticking away.

--

It was midnight and a full silver moon was hanging over Malfoy Manor. Jack watched it in silence, not daring to make a sound in case he missed hearing something himself. His heart was hammering against his chest as the seconds ticked by. Would she come?

Somewhere in the sky the sound of a bird's wings fluttered overhead. Jack looked up for the source of the noise and saw nothing. As his face was turned upwards, the sound he had been waiting for suddenly came into hearing. Jack span around and squinted through the darkness.

'Pearl?' he called softly, barely able to contain the excitement in his voice. She had come. His wish was coming true. Everything was going to be perfect.

There was no reply but the footsteps became louder and more clearer. It could only be her.

'Pearl?' Jack said again. His heartbeat was crashing against his eardrums. 'Why don't you say something?'

The outline of a person appeared from between the trees. As if in a vision, the clouds suddenly shifted and moonlight flooded the face of the person before him. Jack gasped.

Seamus grinned. 'What would you like me to say?'

--

**Please don't all kill me for another cliff hanger... and I hope you're all hanging on to the edges of your seats, cos this story's just getting interesting! Isn't it nice when Seamus shows up? And when Draco finally admits his love for Hermione? And when silly Jack Sandford doesn't get to run off with her? I hope you think so too!**

**Next chapter coming soon :) xxx**


	28. The Real Timers

The clock was ticking away. It was now midnight and a full silver moon was hanging over Malfoy Manor. Hermione didn't know what to do or say first. Why had he chosen this moment to tell her everything she had ever wanted to hear? She couldn't even begin to understand it…she couldn't think straight at all. She couldn't gather her thoughts, except for one. One that was so strong, that was so loud, that nothing else mattered. She had a decision to make and she had made it long before Jack Sandford had come ever along.

'Draco,' she said slowly and shakily, barely daring to breathe in case she broke the spell that suddenly seemed to be cast over her. 'I was never going to leave. My feelings for you have been nothing but happy for so long now, I don't even know where they came from. All I know is…I'll stay with you through hell and back, because I love you too.'

And suddenly, miraculously, both of them had found something they'd never imagined they would, and for the first time in a long time everything was perfect. Neither of them remembered moving forward, except that suddenly they were in each other's arms and they were kissing once more. But this kiss was different. It was just as good as all their other kisses, because if they were being honest with each other it had meant something right from the start. Draco had learnt what it was to be good…and Hermione had found the will to go on and to forgive.

In that moment, as somewhere deep in the house the clock began to strike, the lives of everybody who was present at Malfoy Manor changed forever.

When the sun rose the next morning and streamed in through Hermione's new bedroom windows, both she and Draco stirred at the same time. With a groan that was still longing for sleep, she rolled over and reluctantly opened her eyes. Draco was already smiling sleepily down at her and she smiled back in utter happiness. In the morning light everything was still beautiful, and the decisions made last night were still in place. She had not given another second's thought to Sandford and whether or not he was waiting for her, and only now did she wonder vaguely how long he had waited for her by the lake's edge before realising that she wasn't going to show up.

'Good morning, beautiful girl,' Draco said, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. This simple sentence seemed to sum up perfectly the drastic change that had happened to the both of them in the last twenty-four hours. Never before had Hermione imagined the day when she would wake up beside Draco Malfoy only to find him smiling and calling her beautiful.

'Hello, handsome,' she replied, the first time she had ever admitted aloud the fact that he was gorgeous.

'You know, I've been thinking,' Draco went on. 'You really don't need your own wing here.'

Hermione's face fell. 'I don't? But it's all so lovely here,' she said in disappointment. Draco shrugged.

'Alright, stay. I was just going to suggest that you move in to my room, but if you really love it so much here…'

Laughing, Hermione conceded. 'No, no, I'd love to do that. This can just be my spare room, you know for when I get sick of you and your delightful parents.'

'Ah, yes, _them_…' Malfoy scowled. 'Now that we've dealt with other issues I think we can focus our attention on them. Mainly, my mother and how I'm going to fix her once and for all.'

'What?' Hermione said, alarmed. Draco blinked at her for a moment and then laughed.

'Oh, no don't worry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I'm sick of the two of you not being friends so I'm going to have to talk to her.'

'I'm sure that conversation will go swimmingly,' Hermione muttered, and Draco chuckled.

'Everything will be fine,' he told her so confidently that Hermione actually believed him. She pushed herself up onto her forearms so that she could lean over him and kissed him gently on the lips. Draco responded equally as lightly and they shared a wonderful moment where there was no urgency needed, as if both of them were suddenly realising that now they had all the time in the world to be together.

Hermione sighed against his lips. 'Do we really have to get up today? Can't we just stay here forever?'

'Sure, let's see how that goes,' Draco responded sarcastically, but Hermione had just had a thought.

'No, really,' she said, her voice suddenly serious. 'What would actually happen if we just went on like this forever? Not doing anything to piss anybody off, never telling anyone the truth.'

Draco watched her for a moment as he thought about his answer. There was a quiet hope to the look in her eyes that he didn't want to kill, but he didn't believe that this plan would ever work.

'There's just so much going on out there that you don't know about,' he said at last, forcing out the words regrettably, as though he hated every one of them. 'The world will never leave me alone, and now that you're a part of my life they'll never leave you alone either. Besides from that there's the people who already know - I don't think they'll stay silent forever. My mother…damn Finnigan…'

'Hmm,' Hermione pursed her lips. 'Somehow I always manage to forget about _him_. Where has he been lately, anyway?'

Draco shrugged. 'Not too sure. Can't say I miss him, though.'

'I know,' Hermione agreed. 'I kind of like to know where he is, though. He gives me the creeps.'

'Never could stand him,' Draco muttered. Both of them were silent once more as they wondered where Seamus was and what he was up to. Neither of them had any idea that only hours ago he had been sneaking around just yards away from both of them.

'Well, enough about him,' Draco went on more briskly. 'Let's just handle my mother for now.'

'Ok. What should we do?'

'I think,' Draco grinned at her, 'that the three of us should have breakfast together this morning.'

Hermione looked at him witheringly. 'Do you not recall how that went last time?'

'It's alright, my father's out today. So you can really give her your piece of mind.'

'My piece of mind?' Hermione repeated dumbly.

'Yeah, you know. Tell her off. Get your hands dirty. Throw some punches. Get your claws out -'

'Stop, please,' Hermione begged him, but she was laughing at how ridiculous he sounded with muggle phrases spewing from his mouth. She wondered if he had any idea where any of those things he'd just said originated from. 'So you're actually encouraging me to viciously assault your mother?' she asked, trying to understand.

'If you want,' Draco said, seeming supremely unconcerned by the idea. He rolled out of bed and walked naked over to the bathroom, turning in the doorway. 'Coming?' he asked with a delicious smirk.

Hermione grinned back. Despite the looming breakfast of doom, she was in a fantastic mood. She got up, for once not bothering to carry the covers with her, and went to join Draco in a steaming hot shower.

After both of them had finished bathing - which took an impressive amount of time - they got dressed and headed towards the dining room. Neither were surprised to find that it was empty, so Draco sent an elf up to Narcissa's rooms to request her presence immediately. She appeared several minutes later looking annoyed, and her expression only darkened when she saw that Hermione was there as well.

'What?' she snapped at her son, hovering in the doorway. Draco smiled at her pleasantly.

'Now, Mother, don't be like that. My girlfriend and I would love for you to join us for breakfast,' he said sweetly. Narcissa glowered at him and nodded towards Hermione without meeting her eyes.

'You can drop the act now, Draco. Kindly do not refer to that mudblood whore as your girlfriend in my presence.'

'But it's not an act, Mother,' Draco went on, refusing to stop being cheery. One of his hands reached over the table to where Hermione's lay and he gripped her fingers gently between his own. Narcissa watched this with a look of revulsion and dismay on her face.

'What is this?' she said rather faintly. She looked between the two of them in confusion as it slowly dawned on her.

'Please sit,' Draco told her kindly but firmly. Hesitating, Narcissa slowly moved forwards and sat down as far away from Hermione as possible.

'Draco, what is going on here?' she said quietly, glaring at him intently as though she were trying to use the power of her eyes to literally cut Hermione from the conversation.

'This is the situation, Mother. You'll hear me out, and then you and Hermione are going to become friends,' he told her commandingly, and Hermione glowed at his overwhelming authority. Narcissa let out a noise of disbelief followed quickly by a snort.

'_Friends?_' she spluttered. 'Honestly!'

Draco ignored her and began speaking, his tone serious and low, warning both women not to interrupt him.

'As you remember, Mother, I summoned Hermione in May this year to be my slave because I thought we would all get a good laugh out of it. For a while the arrangement worked out…however, after a while her personality began to come out and her influence over me started to grow. As you know, I've never been particularly thrilled with the future that has been laid out for me. Over the past few months, Hermione has been able to show me that I can be different. When it became urgent for me to have a girlfriend I commanded that she pose as Pearl Shadows for my benefit. This turned out very dangerously for both of us, but eventually we discovered that we had feelings for each other. And it is partly thanks to you and your outing of Hermione to my father that we were forced to admit to these feelings. Now, Hermione is to stay by my side and you are to like it.'

Following this impressive summary of events, Narcissa could only stare at her son as if he were some foreign creature she had never set eyes upon before. After a long, long moment, she opened her mouth to speak but instead burst into a cackle of cynical laughter. Obviously thinking Draco was joking, she laughed appreciatively at his sentiments until she realised that neither of them was smiling back.

'Draco,' Narcissa said, wiping a tear from her eye, 'you can't be serious about any of this. She's a - she's a -'

'I'm a mudblood, yes, woop-di-doo!' Hermione interrupted in annoyance. How many times was she going to say it?

'I know it's hard for you to understand, but you will accept it,' Draco told his mother. 'I don't see why it's such a problem - you loved Pearl before you realised who she really was!'

'Exactly: _before I realised who she really was!_' Narcissa repeated slowly. 'I don't associate myself with vermin.'

'You think that all the time we spent together before you found out the truth makes it different now?' Hermione said quietly, staring intently at the old woman. Narcissa turned her head towards her very reluctantly and settled on her with a wary glare.

'You think that everything I ever said to you was all a big, made up lie? Because it wasn't…that was me, just without admitting it.'

Narcissa remained silent, unwilling to admit that she had ever been besotted with Pearl. Draco could tell that they were slowly getting through to her and he plunged on.

'You told me yourself that you loved Pearl, Mother. That she was one of your closest friends. Nothing has to change. You can still be friends with her.'

'That is never going to happen,' Narcissa said through gritted teeth.

'Oh, would you stop being so damn prejudice, you silly old cow!' Hermione suddenly burst out, and both of them looked at her in shock. She looked back at Draco in surprise and mouthed to him, _sorry._

Draco grinned back at her in encouragement.

'What did you say to me?' Narcissa said, still not able to believe her ears.

'Oh, you heard me,' Hermione snapped irritably. 'Stop being so high and mighty and just admit that you're as lonely as the rest of it! Your husband's never around, you can't talk to any of those stupid Death Eater wives without wanting to kill yourself. You don't really have a problem with me, it's just your idiotic pride. So get over yourself and make us all happy!'

Hermione finished her outburst and squeezed Draco's hand in relief. It felt so much better to say all these things. But Narcissa wasn't impressed at all by this speech, and instead effectively ended the conversation by standing and storming from the room. Draco called out after her but she didn't look back.

'I can't believe I just said all those things,' Hermione wheezed, feeling her heart still hammering inside her chest.

'It was brilliant,' Draco told her, sitting back and seeming wholly satisfied. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. 'What?'

'You seem to think that went well,' she observed. He shrugged.

'You'll see,' was all he said, and he turned towards the food that had patiently waited for them throughout their argument. Hermione watched him for a moment as if hoping he would elaborate, but then decided not to worry about it and reached out for a piece of still warm toast.

'What's on for the day, then?' she asked a few minutes later when she was through with eating.

'What do you feel like doing?' Draco replied calmly. Hermione thought for a moment and her face fell.

'What?' Draco asked her, noticing the sudden glumness of her face.

'Well…it's not really important, I'm just in such a great mood today that…no, don't worry.'

'Tell me. Now,' Draco commanded. Hermione seemed almost embarrassed to say it.

'Well…I'd kind of like to get out of the house,' she said meekly. When Draco didn't answer she rushed on quickly. 'But of course I know that's impossible. I know there's a binding spell on me and that it's too dangerous and there's plenty to do here -'

'No,' Draco interrupted her. 'You're right. Let's go.'

'What?' Hermione spluttered. She had not pictured that answer coming from him for even a second. He smirked at her.

'You really think I can't lift your binding spell? I just never wanted to before.'

'But - but won't it be dangerous?'

'Why?' he said, eyebrows raised. 'What do you think is going to happen?'

'I don't know,' Hermione admitted, suddenly feeling sheepish.

'Now tell me, what is it exactly that you wanted to do out there?' Draco enquired politely, not seeming at all ruffled by her request. Hermione bit her lip.

'Um…just be with you? Away from all this?' she said at last. It had not been her intended response - which was, in fact, to go shopping - but it was more true anyway. Draco nodded, taking this in stride, and stood up.'

'Let's go, then,' he said simply, and strode from the room. Hermione rushed after him feeling frazzled but excited at the sudden prospects that had opened up to her. She followed him up to his bedroom in slight curiosity and watched as he moved over to the fireplace and threw some floo powder into it. Bright green flames immediately burst to life.

'Flooing out from my room is the safest option,' Draco explained as he pulled out his wand and began to make a complicated-looking spinning movement with it. 'My channel is one of the more secure in the world - nobody can floo in or out without my permission, basically, and it has a stealth wall on it as well. Nobody will be able to detect our pathway.'

'Right,' Hermione replied vaguely. She wasn't used to other people explaining things to her. She missed the days when that was her job. She watched in awe as Draco began to perform the unbinding spell, and she wondered why she had never seen before just how smart he was. When he was done Hermione felt no different.

'Where do you want to go?' he asked her, moving up to the hearth.

'I'd quite like to see what Diagon Alley looks like these days,' Hermione admitted. Draco nodded, his face expressionless, and motioned her forwards. He handed her a plain black cloak which she threw on over the deep blue, straight-skirted dress she wore.

'I'll go first. Come straight after me. And _don't _get lost,' he instructed, and then he was gone. Hermione barely waited a second until he was gone before reaching for a handful of powder and throwing it into the crackling flames.

'Diagon Alley!' she shouted clearly, and she felt a wave of emotion trickle down her throat along with the flames at the very thought of the place where she had spent many wonderful summer days as a teenager. She kept her eyes tightly shut as she spun through space, and when she finally slowed down Draco's hand was waiting to catch her.

'Whoa,' he muttered as Hermione staggered against him. 'Knew you'd be a bit rusty on that.'

Hermione didn't care that she had just made herself look like an idiot. She had used magic again. She didn't have a wand, but still, that had felt amazing. It took her a moment to fully regain her composure, and when she finally straightened up and looked around it took her a moment to realise where she was.

It was the Leaky Cauldron except that it wasn't at all. There was nothing inviting about it from Hermione's perspective, and she didn't understand how anybody could be happy to sit in this room. The entire place was decorated with black furniture, the lighting was so dim, and the chatter was so quiet that Hermione felt she had just entered a muggle funeral parlour after closing. She looked around at the few customers, who all seemed to have picked spots by the walls so that they could whisper out of earshot of each other. They all wore their cloaks and hoods even inside, and Hermione was suddenly very aware about how exposed she was. She reached back to pull on her own hood but Draco grabbed her wrist to stop her and gave a tiny shake of his head. He placed her hand in the crook of his arm and stepped away from the hearth of the fire, right into the centre of the room.

At once all heads turned in their direction, as if this had been some kind of signal for them. A small hush fell over the guests, but then one by one they each stood up and made a low bow. The bartender rushed out from behind his counter and approached them, almost bent over double.

'Master Malfoy,' he said in a low, croaky voice. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?'

Hermione could only look on, stunned, as Draco nodded silently at half of the occupants in the room, acknowledging his supremacy over them. He finally turned back to the bartender, who still hadn't straightened up, and reached out with his right hand.

'I'm not stopping, Ludgeon,' he drawled in a much different tone to the one he had just been using back in his bedroom. The man called Ludgeon also extended his hand and they shook, but Hermione heard the distinct sound of rattling coins in their exchange. A knowing look crossed the bartender's face and he quickly withdrew his hand to his pocket.

'Yes, right you are, Sir,' he said quickly. 'Never saw you.'

'Of course you didn't,' Draco said coldly. Ludgeon's eyes slowly moved over to Hermione's face, and Draco quickly pulled her away. They left in a hush, and Hermione kept her eyes down until they were safely out in the deserted courtyard.

'What was -?' she began, but Draco cut her off.

'Wait,' he hissed. He moved over to the wall that led into Diagon Alley and Hermione looked over to it with a gasp.

Instead of the usual brick wall there was a wall of pure black marble, and right in the middle was a giant dragon's head. It's yellow eyes were crazy, roving in their sockets, and its mouth looked ready to open in a furious snarl. It took Hermione a moment to realise that it wasn't real - of course a real dragon's head couldn't be sitting in a wall - but it was so vivid, so lifelike that she still wasn't quite convinced.

Draco didn't seem fazed as he led her straight towards it. He hadn't even drawn his wand. Hermione didn't have a choice as he dragged her along with him, and without even pausing he spoke to the dragon's head.

'Move,' he demanded harshly. Hermione almost laughed hysterically. Did he really think that was going to work? But to her surprise the dragon's mouth was opening wide, a low hiss escaping from its lips, and a dark tunnel appeared before them. Without slowing, Draco and Hermione walked straight into the tunnel and everything was black for a moment before they appeared out the other side. Hermione glanced over her shoulder to see an innocent, sparkling black wall looming over her.

'You like the new entrance?' Draco said emotionlessly, casting an eye over the shocked look on her face.

'It's horrible!' she gasped, tearing her eyes away from the wall. 'And the Leaky Cauldron!' she shuddered. Draco laughed.

'I'd forgotten the old name for it! Now we call it the Dragon's Lair, you can guess why.'

'It's not funny!' Hermione squeaked. 'And what was with everyone in there? They were treating you like royalty!'

'Haven't you realised by now?' Draco raised an eyebrow at her. 'I am royalty. That's why we don't wear our hoods - only those who aren't important hide their faces because no one wants to see them, you see? Also, only we can stand in the middle of the room.'

Hermione wanted to laugh at the preposterousness of it, but she was far more unsettled than she was amused. 'And why did you bribe the barman?'

'Someone like me causes a lot of talk by an appearance. I prefer to keep a low profile. Ludgeon knows better than to cross me.'

'Right,' Hermione said faintly. She hadn't envisioned any of this when she'd imagined leaving the manor. Just a quick pop off to the shops, really. She finally turned her attention to the street and was met by another unpleasant surprise.

While most of the shops appeared to be open, there was nothing welcoming about them. The street was almost as dark as the pub had been, and the same eerie hush seemed to drift about them. The once brilliantly white building of Gringotts was now pure black, just like the wall behind them, and it towered over everything near it like a storm cloud. Even the sky was grey and dreary, not a ray of sunshine in sight. In fact, Hermione was freezing.

'Any chance we could buy a coat?' she said through chattering teeth. Draco nodded and they began to move again. He seemed to be watching her more than the street, taking in her reaction to the changes surrounding them. Hermione, however, couldn't help noticing that every person they passed - almost all of them hooded - had their eyes plastered to the pair of them. They looked at Draco with barely disguised fear and awe, and when their eyes turned to her they became very interested. Hermione tried to remember who she was meant to be and tried to ignore them, staring straight ahead as though this wasn't odd for her at all.

'Not what you were expecting, was it?' Draco muttered to her quietly, nodding at a passer-by who had actually stopped walking to bow to him. Hermione shook her head.

'I should have been prepared for this. It was stupid to think it would be the same,' she said glumly. She had been looking forward to feeling a rush of memories and emotion upon entering Diagon Alley, but instead all she felt was foreboding and sadness.

'We won't stay long. I just thought you should get the chance to see it for yourself,' Draco said. He turned at last into a shop about halfway along the street, still keeping Hermione close to him with his arm.

Hermione took a moment to realise that they were standing in Madame Malkin's old robe shop. Thankfully there was at least some colour in here due to the clothes, but there was a depressing music that was piping out from the back room. After a moment a grumpy looking woman appeared, and her expression cleared at the sight of them.

'Master Malfoy!' she exclaimed, approaching him just as the bartender had. 'What an honour!'

'Thank you,' Draco replied coolly.

'What can I help you with on this lovely day?' she went on in delighted tones, and Hermione wanted to laugh in her face. _Lovely day?_

'I don't believe you know Pearl Shadows?' Draco nodded to Hermione, and the shop assistant's attention immediately shifted over to her. She bowed to Hermione as well and thinking it would be the right thing to do, Hermione slid out her hand. The woman took it in hers and planted a kiss on it, almost causing Hermione to jump in surprise. This was the kind of special treatment she had never imagined actually existed.

'It is a pleasure, Miss Shadows,' the woman said, smiling at her. Hermione couldn't speak, so she just nodded.

'Pearl is a bit cold today,' Draco explained. 'Perhaps you can find a suitable coat for her?'

The woman nodded and at once vanished into the back of the shop. Hermione barely had time to cast him with an exasperated look before she was back with a beautiful white coat. It appeared to be some kind of animal fur which made Hermione wrinkle her nose in distaste, but when she felt it between her fingers she was in love.

'My very finest coat,' the woman said proudly. 'Made completely from the fur of the very rare Siberian Niffler. Donated willingly,' she added rather nastily, and Hermione forced herself to smile.

'We'll take it,' Draco said, though Hermione was sure he hadn't even glanced at it. 'And a black one as well?'

'Of course,' the woman was gone again and back a second time with another coat.

'This one is dragon, as you can see,' she explained, passing it to Hermione. 'From Chile. Very hard to skin.'

Hermione didn't much prefer this to the Niffler coat, but she couldn't deny that it was lovely. Before she could even ask to see something that wasn't animal Draco had reached into his pockets and was pushing money at her.

'The black one would be more appropriate for now,' he said, and handed the white one back to the shop keep. Have this delivered for me. Good day.'

'Of course, Master Malfoy!' she gushed, bowing to them again. 'Lovely to meet you, Miss Shadows!'

Hermione nodded to the woman dumbly and they left. She pulled on the coat and was immediately warm. 'I think I'd like to leave now,' she said.

'Definitely,' Draco agreed, and they made their way back down the street to the pub. Hermione didn't look around her again, and when they reached the Dragon's Lair she practically ran to the fireplace. But instead Draco pulled her over to the doorway that led to the muggle world and they were back outside. The street was entirely deserted, and appeared to have been so for quite some time.

'Muggles don't come here anymore,' he told her, casting a wary glance around them. 'They sense the evil nearby.'

'What are we doing here, then?' Hermione shivered. The street was no better than the one the had just left.

'Can't disapparate in Diagon Alley. And I want to take you somewhere.'

'Where?' Hermione said curiously, again feeling like the stupid one for not remembering this fact. Draco pulled her tightly against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

'Don't ask questions,' he said, and then they were moving. Hermione clutched him tightly, feeling like she was being squeezed to death as they apparated away from the street. It was an entirely new sensation for her; she had never learned to apparate. She'd never been given the chance. When they finally stopped moving she kept holding onto him to stop herself from losing balance once again.

'That was insane!' she panted, and Draco laughed.

'You'll get used to it,' he told her.

'Will I?' Hermione muttered, but quiet enough for him not to hear. She stepped away from him and took a look around, expecting to be in some other dark room. But instead they were out in the open, and she was suddenly sweltering hot.

The sun was shining and there was sand beneath her feet. There wasn't a single building or other human in sight, just ocean and trees. Hermione ripped off her new coat and threw it in the sand, followed quickly by her cloak and shoes. She closed her eyes and let the sun warm her skin as it hadn't in a long time.

'Where?' she said simply. Draco shrugged.

'Not sure exactly. Some island. I think…' he squinted out towards the ocean, 'that Australia is somewhere over there.'

'Really?' Hermione was impressed. She had never travelled very far. Now it seemed like the perfect time to be on the other side of the equator from everyone she knew. With a delighted laugh she took off for the water, enjoying the feel of the sand between her toes. She splashed into the sea, surprised to find that it wasn't as freezing as she had expected it to be against her legs, and without stopping she dove straight under. She came up shrieking and looked down at her ruined dressed. She pushed her now sopping hair out of her eyes and laughed, looking up to see where Draco had got to.

He still stood where she'd left him, slowly taking off his cloak and shoes and looking very out of place in his usual suit. Hermione motioned for him to join her, and slowly, with all of the self control that she had lacked, he made his way down to the water's edge.

'Well come on, get in!' she shouted across to him rather unnecessarily. Though she was probably more than fifty metres away the ocean was quiet around them. Shaking his head, Draco reached down to undo his belt. Hermione shook her head at him and again crooked a finger at him, demanding that he join her immediately. With a sigh, Draco let himself walk forwards into the water and felt his trousers ruin instantly.

'Hurry up, coward!' Hermione taunted him, lying back into the water and letting herself float away. After a moment she straightened up again, now only just able to reach the bottom, and looked around to see where he'd got to. Draco had completely disappeared, but not being fooled Hermione quickly turned around, expecting him to jump out at her any second.

After a while when he did not appear she actually began to wonder where he'd gone, and she called his name feeling slightly worried.

'Over here!' a voice called, and she turned to see him at least another two hundred metres away from her, treading water in the ocean.

'How - _how did you do that?_' she shrieked, unsure that he could hear her. He had swum all that way in seconds! 'Did you underwater-apparate?'

He didn't answer, only disappeared beneath the surface. Hermione waited for him to reappear, which he did less than a minute later, right next to her.

'_Underwater-apparate?' _he said appallingly. 'That's not even a word.'

'Show off,' Hermione replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. Draco responded immediately, picking her legs up and placing them around his waist. Hermione was suddenly very aware of the way his white shirt was clinging to his chest in the water, and the fact that her dress had slid all the way up her thigh to enable her to wrap her legs around him.

He pulled her face roughly towards him and she sighed as their lips met. Her hands ran though his dripping hair and he held her tightly against him as the waves slapped against their bodies. He turned back towards the shore and with all the strength of a rock in the river he began to wade them through the water, never taking his mouth away from hers.

When the water was no longer beneath his feet he collapsed onto the sand, covering his body with hers. Hermione immediately pulled him closer against her, her lips trailing across his face and over his neck with vigour. She felt restricted in her clothes but they were plastered against her skin and it was too much effort to take them off. Draco felt the same way, clawing at her exposed skin with desperation. He slipped a leg between her thighs and pushed it up against her, causing Hermione to moan and bite into the soft flesh on his neck. Draco let out a low growl and pinned her arms down, seeking out her mouth once more. They kissed with more fire now, and Hermione struggled to free her arms so that she could reach for him. His bulge was pressing firmly against her pelvis and she longed to feel him inside of her. Freeing her arms, she reached down between their bodies and unbuckled his belt. Draco lifted his hips to allow her to undo his fly and at once he was free. Pinning her arms down once more, he seeked out her entrance, pushed aside her underwear, and without pause thrust into her.

Hermione let out a low, guttural moan and her hands balled into fists against the sand. She wanted him to take her slowly but at the same time their urgency wasn't enough and she wanted more. Draco appeared to feel the same way, a desperate shuddering coming over him as he tried to restrain himself from pumping into her faster and faster. Both of them slowed down against each other and looked into the other's eyes. A gentle wave rolled over them and it hit Hermione like an orgasm, its coolness encircling her body while Draco's warmth attacked her insides.

He made love to her as slowly as he could, every second his body screaming for him to completely consume her. It was agonising pleasure and he could barely control himself as the ocean rolled around them, and when he felt her insides begin to pulse around him and a whimper escape her lips he let himself go. He groaned into her neck, pumping into her more quickly as he emptied himself inside of her. All the time she whined into his ear in desperate climax until he finally shuddered and became still, their bodies still being gently rocked by the incoming waves that splashed about them.

They stayed there for a long moment, feeling completely soothed in the sand and the sea.

'We should get back,' Draco said at last, and Hermione nodded, still not having caught her breath back. Slowly he rolled off of her and pulled her to her feet. Hermione was shaky at first, still feeling the intensity of her orgasm, and Draco helped her walk back up the beach. After they had gathered up their things Draco pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her again. Hermione barely noticed as they disapparated, all she could think about were his lips on hers.

Then they were standing back in his bedroom and Draco was helping her over to the bed, she was still so shaky. He wrapped his cloak around her as the coldness hit them both and Hermione's teeth began to chatter.

'I thought you couldn't apparate into the manor?' she said squeakily.

'I can apparate into this room,' Draco said, entering the bathroom. Hermione heard the sound of running water begin and he appeared again with a towel for her.

'Come here,' he said in his low voice, and she went to him. He peeled her dress off of her body, followed by her underwear. She wanted him to kiss her again as her body was still crying out to be touched by his, but Draco wrapped her in the towel instead.

'You have a hot bath now and don't freeze to death,' he instructed her.

'What about you?' she asked, watching as he moved over to his wardrobe and picked out a clean suit.

'I should go and check in,' he said, and she didn't have to ask what he meant. 'Don't want it to reach the wrong ears that I was out shopping all day.'

Hermione felt suddenly guilty for making him take her to Diagon Alley. 'Oh, Draco I'm sorry -'

'No, don't be,' he smiled at her. 'I didn't mean it badly. It was nice to get out. Very nice,' he added, thinking of the beach. Hermione watched with a smile as he pulled off his own wet clothes and used his wand to quickly dry off.

'I won't be long,' he told her as he began to get dressed again. Hermione nodded, and as she had began to shiver she moved into the bathroom to hop into the steaming bath. They shouted goodbye to each other and then she was alone and letting out a long sigh of relief. It was both a mixture of getting away from the horrible outside world and an afterthought from the beach. She was thankful that she was sitting down; she still felt weak at the knees.

When she was done in the bathroom and had found some warm clothes in Draco's cupboard Hermione wondered out of his room and without really knowing where she was going ended up in the library. She pulled open the doors and stopped in her tracks, seeing Narcissa standing before her, a pile of books in her arms.

For a moment the two women stared at each other with hostility, and then one of the books in Narcissa's arms fell to the floor with a thud. Hermione impulsively bent down to pick it up and handed it back to her.

'Thank you,' Narcissa said grudgingly, and Hermione almost choked in surprise though her mouth was empty.

'You're welcome,' she answered, and both of them were silent again. After an awkward pause, she made to move past the woman and into the room but Narcissa spoke again and she stopped.

'He's right, you know,' she said. Hermione turned.

'What?' she said blankly. Narcissa was staring at the floor at her feet. She seemed to be struggling to find words.

'I did love Pearl before I found out the truth,' she said at last. Hermione didn't know what to say, she simply stared at her.

'And…' Narcissa continued, taking a deep breath. Hermione had never seen her like this. 'I miss her.'

There was silence as Hermione absorbed this new development. Was Narcissa Malfoy calling a ceasefire between them? Was she actually climbing down off of her throne and admitting that she was wrong? Hermione didn't want to gloat, though. She just wanted her friend back.

'And I miss the Narcissa that I know is in there,' she admitted. Neither of them could seem to look at each other. It was hard for both of them to admit this, but neither could seem to hold it in any longer.

'Do you think…' Hermione went on tentatively, knowing that it was easier for her to make the next move. 'Do you think it would be ok if we were friends again?'

She waited, holding her breath, for Narcissa to answer. It would be a big step for her, but she knew it was in there somewhere. Narcissa finally looked at her. For a second Hermione thought that she was going to smile, but she didn't. Perhaps that was too much just now.

At last, though, Narcissa spoke. 'I think that…would be very ok,' she said. Hermione couldn't help the wave of relief that coursed through her, and she smiled at the woman before her, her old friend found again.

With a small amount of effort, Narcissa smiled back. They didn't need to hug or shake hands or make some silly joke, because for now that was enough.

**No cliffhanger this time! As always I'm sorry for the wait, I'm really trying hard at the moment to force myself just to sit down and write. It's Just Me chapter will be next!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's quite nice compared to other parts of the story. Finally a truce with Narcissa, and finally their feelings are out in the open! Now just to answer a few review questions:**

**Draco does have scars on his back. Hermione's have been healed by Draco because he couldn't bear to see them, and his raping days are over :)**

**Both of them are 19. I know in the books Hermione is a year older but shhh, I like it better this way. It was in the summer before their sixth year that this story began, so Hermione never finished the last two years of school. Also just if anyone was wondering, Hermione had now been in the Malfoy Manor for about six months.**

**Voldemort will be appearing at some point during the story. The story is far from finishing.**

**And Seamus...well, you know I'm not going to say a thing ;)**

**Hope to hear from you all soon! Lots of love xxx**


	29. The Dear And Disguised

**Finally, another chapter! I'm sorry it's been so long, I've been more into the rhythm of my other stories and this one is harder to get back into because it's much darker. And time goes by so quickly! I hadn't realised it had been so long until I saw a review saying the last update had been in May! I really appreciate all of your reviews, even the ones that were bordering on (friendly) abuse when they sat up all night reading only to find that the story wasn't finished. Even though I can't always find the time to reply or update I read every one of them and pay attention, so thanks to you all for keeping me on my toes. Some of them are particularly amusing for their observations, including this comment on Seamus which made me laugh after just having written this chapter (you'll see once you've read it): "**Sometimes I think that he secretly loves Draco and wants to get Hermione out of the way." **Another one that I won't mention also asked some very interesting questions which I was very impressed by, but that's all I'm saying on that!**

**To answer some of your questions...Hermione has been constantly disguised as Pearl since Lucius discovered her identity, and only to herself and to Draco does she look normal. I can't remember if this has been mentioned, but Pearl is blond. Unfortunately, Harry really is dead. The details of what happened to Ron and Lavender will be revealed, some maybe much sooner than you might think. Hermione misses everything about her old life but tries her hardest to suppress all of her memories. Being with Draco mostly makes this easier, but they still break through which you see a bit in this chapter. There are resistance fighters out there even though Hermione doesn't know it, but their numbers are limited and they are mostly picked off one by one by the death eaters. This is what Draco is up to sometimes when he goes away. Unfortunately, all of the Order is gone. That's about all I can say for now, but I can promise that the story is far from over and there is a lot more drama to come. Enjoy!**

It had only been hours since the truce had been called and Hermione felt as though a heavy load had been lifted from her shoulders. One by one, the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were becoming her friends. Sadly, she couldn't hope for the same to be said of Lucius. And although he remained completely polite and friendly to her while she was disguised as Pearl it wasn't much of a consolation, considering that it he knew who she really was she would be dead within hours.

After their awkward library encounter Hermione and Narcissa had gone their separate ways: Narcissa had disappeared into some wing of the house and Hermione had snuck down to the kitchens to visit the elves. After spending a lovely few hours catching up with them, being stuffed full of food no matter how much she insisted she wasn't hungry, and just being generally cheery, she retired to Draco's room and began to wait for him. She had hoped that he might already be back by the time she arrived upstairs, but no such luck. Hermione sat anxiously on the bed for almost an hour, getting up every few minutes to try and find a better use for her restless energy, and each time ended up right back where she started.

Darkness had consumed everything and Hermione had fallen into a light doze when at last Draco returned. He came through the fireplace and smiled when he saw her sleeping in a tiny ball right at the edge of his bed. He tried to be quiet as he undressed and slipped in the other side, but Hermione awoke as soon as his weight touched the bed.

'What's the time?' she muttered sleepily, feeling disorientated as she sat up with a start. Draco placed a hand on her shoulder and softly pulled her back down.

'It's almost morning,' he replied tiredly. 'I didn't mean to wake you.'

'That's ok,' she said, resettling herself beside him. She placed an arm across his chest and he shivered at her warmth. He was freezing.

'Where have you been?' she asked, surprised at his cold skin. 'You haven't been outside all night have you?'

'No, not really,' Draco said vaguely, and then spoke no more. Hermione sensed that he didn't want to talk about it so she remained silent. Just as she thought he must be asleep he spoke again.

'Oh, I almost forgot – it's Halloween tomorrow.' Hermione blinked in the darkness, surprised by this information. It had been a long time since she'd kept track of the date so it always felt strange to remember holidays. They felt like distant memories.

'I had no idea,' she said for wont of something better to say. Halloween had always been exciting in her days at Hogwarts. She felt a slight pang in her chest as an image of a troll flashed through her mind. _Don't think about it_, she told herself quickly, her usual mantra.

'Neither did I, actually,' Draco revealed. 'But traditionally we host a party here every year, so I thought you should be prepared for it. It gets more extravagant every time, that's mother trying to outdo herself. And it's a costume party.'

Hermione snorted. Death Eaters in dress up?

'Somehow I can't see your father dressing up as a Hippogriff,' she said, and Draco laughed.

'Everyone just wears pretty basic Dark Arts kind of stuff. You know, lots of dementors and inferi. Easy.'

'So I need to think of a costume?' Hermione sighed. How many parties were there in this house? She felt Draco shrug beside her.

'If you like. But I though that maybe you could go as a veela.'

Hermione laughed out loud at this suggestion. 'Me, a veela? No one would ever get it.'

'I disagree,' Draco frowned. 'What else could you go as?'

'Um…a mermaid? No, that's silly. An animal, maybe. I know – a phoenix!'

Draco was silent and Hermione felt him stiffen.

'What?' she said. 'What is it?'

'You can't go as a phoenix, Hermione. That would be making an anti-Death Eater statement. The phoenix is widely considered to be Dumbledore's sign.'

'So Death Eaters don't even have a sense of humour on Halloween?' she said crossly, but mostly because she now felt foolish for even thinking of it. 'Fine, I'll go as a veela. What do they even wear, anyway?'

'Silvery type dresses. Remember from the Quidditch World Cup?'

'Oh,' Hermione felt another pang as he said it. She hated the past. Hated and yearned for it.

'What will you go as?' she asked after a moment to blow past the moment. 'A vampire? You already look like one so it should be easy.'

Draco shoved her playfully. 'Thanks,' he said sarcastically. 'But I'm not going as a vampire. How unoriginal.'

'And a veela isn't? You think of something, then,' Hermione shoved him back and he caught her hands and pinned them to her sides. He slid his body on top of hers and she shivered once more as his cold torso engulfed her.

'I'm going to go as Death,' he said promptly.

'Death? Hermione repeated. 'Like the Grim Reaper? So you'll just wear a black cloak like you always do?'

'And the scythe, don't forget the scythe,' he reminded her, and he buried his face in her neck and began to slowly move his lips over her skin.

Far too soon for Hermione's liking she was awoken by a distant clattering that seemed to be coming from all directions. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced over to see that Draco was still asleep. Quietly, she got out of bed and moved over to the windows. They hadn't been shut the night before and light was pouring in, so it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness before she could look down into the garden. She saw half of the elves of the manor furiously working away at assembling a dance floor over the lake, similar to the one that had been at the homecoming for Lucius. This one, however, was so dark that it took Hermione a few seconds to realise that it was transparent, but only just. The water looked ominous below.

The trees were full of shadowy lanterns and the flowers, which usually bloomed through all weather, had all been charmed to a jet black colour. There was a dark beauty to the scene that Hermione enjoyed, but still it had a sense of foreboding to it that she didn't like. She turned away and decided that she would venture downstairs without Draco to see what was going on in the ballroom. Grabbing a black dressing gown for the cupboard so as to appear less conspicuous, Hermione glanced around to check that Draco was still sleeping and then left the room.

When she arrived downstairs she was greeted by Tellty, who was rushing by with his tiny arms full of what looked like black candles.

'Good morning, miss!' he squeaked, thankfully remembering not to give away her real name in case somebody was nearby. Hermione looked around to make sure they were alone before replying.

'Good morning, Tellty. Can I help you carry them?' she held out her hands but he stepped back quickly, looking scared.

'Miss shouldn't do that where people might see!' he whispered, and hurried away. Sighing, Hermione slowly made her way after him and found that he had led her to the grand ballroom, which was already decked out in looming drapes as dark as midnight. Apparently Halloween meant no colour was allowed.

Hermione stood in the doorway for a few minutes, until watching the elves but not being able to offer any help became too irritating. She wasn't particularly hungry, but as she passed by the dining room she saw that Narcissa was sitting alone at the table. She looked so small and lonely that, hesitating for a moment, Hermione decided to join her. She made her way forwards slowly, not sure how her presence would be received.

'Uh…hello,' she said timidly. Narcissa jumped a little, not having noticed her, and seemed to struggle for a moment before giving a small smile.

'Good morning,' she said cautiously. 'Shall I send for some more food?'

Hermione surveyed the table, which was already covered in every kind of breakfast food, and shook her head quickly.

'No, thank you. I'll just have a piece of toast.'

She sat down opposite the older woman and for a while there was an awkward silence. Hermione felt uncomfortable but also reassured that Narcissa seemed to be feeling the same way. She had to try and understand what it felt like for her to have to break through a lifetime of prejudice just to be civil to her. It couldn't be easy, but at least the woman was trying.

'I just had a peak at the garden and the ballroom,' she said finally, and Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

'What did you think?'

'It…looks quite lovely, actually.'

Narcissa smiled. 'I designed it myself, years ago. Black is tradition for Halloween – well, for everything, actually.'

Hermione laughed. 'I noticed. I'm interested to see everybody's costumes.'

'They don't look much different to how they normally look, to be honest,' Narcissa admitted, rolling her eyes. Hermione smiled.

'What are you going as?'

'I have no idea. And I'm supposed to be choosing for Lucius as well.' She furrowed her brow as she picked up her cup of coffee.

'Hmm…' Hermione grinned. 'What about a hippogriff for Lucius?'

Narcissa choked on the mouthful of coffee she had just sipped and let out a hacking laugh. 'Oh, that would be good! If only!'

'So Lucius will be at the party…will the…Dark Lord be there, too?' Hermione asked hesitantly. It had been on her mind since Draco had told her about the party. Narcissa regarded her for a moment before answering.

'No, I think not. He doesn't normally make an appearance at such things.'

Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. She picked up her piece of plain toast and bit into it. There was a much more comfortable silence for a few minutes as Narcissa read the paper and Hermione stared around the room. Then there was a knock at the door and both women turned expectantly. It was Blaise Zabini.

'Blaise!' Narcissa exclaimed in surprise. Blaise stood awkwardly in the doorway, evidently having thought that Narcissa would be alone.

'Good morning, Narcissa, Pearl,' he said politely, inclining his head to both of them.

'Good morning,' Hermione said a little more coldly than she perhaps should. Narcissa had gone bright red. Blaise came over to the table and looked between the two of them.

'I came to see Draco on a business matter,' he said at last. Not a single person in the room believed this, but none of them let on. He looked to Hermione, who shrugged.

'I think he's still asleep. Shall I go and fetch him?' she offered, ready to leave this uncomfortable scenario. Blaise smiled stiffly.

'That would be very kind of you, thank you.' He reclined his head again and Hermione afforded a small smile before practically racing from the room. She hurried upstairs and back to Draco's bedroom to find him still fast asleep in bed. She strolled around to his side and sat down next to him. With the back of her hand Hermione stroked his forehead and he let out a tiny groan.

'Draco,' she said loudly, shaking his shoulder gently. He opened his eyes one by one and groaned again.

'Draco, Zabini is downstairs waiting for you,' she informed him. He let out a string of profanities and begrudgingly got out of bed. Hermione sat and watched as he stumbled tiredly to the cupboard and into a pair of pants and an incredibly soft looking top. He strode over to the mirror against the wall and glared at his reflection for a moment, running his hand through his hair, and then turned to her.

'Did he say what he wanted?' he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. She shook her head.

'Just said it was business.' Draco grunted and motioned for her to come with him. She followed him silently back downstairs and when they entered the dining room they found Narcissa and Blaise in a tense silence. Hermione paused for a moment and wondered whether Narcissa had told him that she knew about their affair. Blaise ignored her, however, and turned his attention immediately to Malfoy.

'Draco, I'm so sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to discuss some of the details that you might have missed last night…'

Both Narcissa and Hermione listened to this with interest, but Draco turned away from both of them, intentionally blocking them out of the conversation.

'Alright, Zabini. I'll give you thirty minutes, no more. Come,' he said coolly, and the two men left the room, undoubtedly headed for Draco's study. When the two women were left alone they turned to look at each other, both hoping the other might know what was going on.

'I didn't even know he was out last night,' Narcissa said blankly. Hermione nodded grimly.

'He barely made it home before sunrise,' she said. Narcissa sighed.

'I don't even know where Lucius is right now,' she told Hermione, and Hermione saw the signs of worry on her face. 'He's been out for days at a time lately, completely missed our twenty-fifth anniversary last week.' Hermione raised an eyebrow at this information, but finding it awkward to try and comfort her new friend, she blew past it.

'Is that why Zabini really turned up, then? Because he knew Lucius wasn't around?' she said slyly. Narcissa shot her a sharp look and turned slightly pink, but held her head high.

'I won't discuss this with you,' she said stubbornly, and stood up from the table. She crossed the room quickly but Hermione stopped her.

'I'm not judging you,' she said quietly, and the other woman stopped momentarily to look back at her warily. 'I just want to help you,' Hermione went on calmly. Narcissa raised her eyebrows cynically.

'_Help_ me?' she repeated acidly. 'What makes you think I need your help on this subject?'

Hermione knew that this was to be handled delicately. She didn't mean to pry – well, maybe she did – but now that she had some happiness she could plainly see that Narcissa didn't.

'Because deep down I know that you're a good woman and that you don't want to hurt your family. You want a way out of this. It's simple. Tell him it's over or Draco knows everything.'

Narcissa stared at her for a moment. And then her face seemed to crumple. 'He won't accept that. He won't give up on me so easily.'

'Then _I'll_ tell him,' Hermione said fiercely. 'Come on, you're a grown woman. He's barely twenty. He'll move on like _that _– sorry,' she added as Narcissa flinched at this last comment. 'You can do it,' she said again. For a long time Narcissa stared at her hopelessly, and at last she gave a tiny nod.

'You're right. I do want out. I'll do it,' she said resignedly. Hermione smiled at her encouragingly.

'Tonight?'

Narcissa shook her head. 'I don't think so. But soon. I have to work up to it. But I…I want to do it.'

'Good.' Hermione felt a different tension ease up within her. Narcissa managed a small nervous smile as well.

'I'd better go and find a couple of costumes. It would do no good if I didn't considering it's the only thing Lucius leaves me in charge of,' she said, and strode off. Hermione stood in thought for a moment before making her way upstairs to the library. She was beginning to visit it more and more regularly and it felt great. Unfortunately most of the books were about dark magic and such, so reluctantly she selected a book entitled _A History of the Dementor: The Personification of Fear_ and carried it back to Draco's bedroom.

She had already read the first two chapters by the time Draco returned in a foul mood. She watched silently as he came storming in and smashed about the place, ripping a piece of parchment from his desk drawer and almost breaking his quill as he snatched it up. He wrote furiously for several minutes and then moved to the window, throwing it open and whistling loudly and sharply. A moment later a proud looking eagle owl flew down to land on his arm. He tied the letter to its leg and it flew away immediately. Only then did he at last turn to her.

'Bad morning?' she joked, trying to take the scowl from his face. His eyes slid down to the book she was reading and she remembered suddenly his last encounter with a dementor – or a hundred of them.

'Why the fuck have you got that?' he demanded, and she flinched at his harsh tone. She closed the book gently and stood up.

'Just needed something to read, it's nothing,' she said quickly. She made to move closer to him but wavered. He seemed not to notice and went to sit down at his desk. She hadn't seen him so angry in a long time.

'Do you…do you want to talk?' she said shyly. He didn't reply, but sat breathing deeply for several long minutes. Finally Hermione made her way over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at it and after a moment took it in his hand.

'Just more bullshit jobs for me to do,' he said at last. 'This one will be longer, though. I'll be gone for a few weeks.'

Hermione felt a knot form in her stomach. 'When?' she asked. He shrugged.

'In a week or two. I don't know how long I'll be gone for but it'll be a while.'

'What…what do you have to do?' she asked him in almost a whisper. He didn't answer straight away. Instead he pulled her around and sat her down in his lap. She leaned against his chest gratefully, feeling her fear slightly relieved when she was beside him.

'You don't need to hear those things,' he told her, and she nodded mutely. In truth, she was probably happier not knowing a thing.

'Let's not talk about it now,' she murmured. 'Unless you want to?'

'No,' he said, leaning his chin on the top of her head. 'I'm sorry for yelling at you.'

'It was hardly yelling,' she said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze to show that she wasn't mad. 'And you have good reasons.'

Draco was silent for the longest time yet, and Hermione simply sat with him and let him brood. After a while a delicious smell wafted in from the open window and Draco raised his head to sniff.

'The elves must be going mad down there with all the food they have to cook for tonight,' Hermione commented, feeling guilty.

'You know they love it,' Draco replied, resiting the urge to roll his eyes. Her elf-rights talk was only a recent addition to his life so he was not used to it yet and didn't know how to take it.

'You could say thank you to them every once in a while,' she huffed, and Draco too felt a stab of guilt as he thought of the way any of the elves flinched at the sight of him. He couldn't blame them – before Hermione had come along, one of his ways of relaxing had been to torture them. And as this unfortunate image flashed through his mind he remembered a detail of Halloween which he had forgotten to disclose to Hermione.

'What?' Hermione said, startled at the look she saw flit across his face. But it lasted less than a second and then he was back to his controlled, calm self.

'Nothing,' he said, smoothing her hair beneath his palm. 'I have to go out for a while but then I thought I could take you out to get a dress for tonight.'

'Not to Diagon Alley?' Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled humourlessly.

'No. I have another place in mind. Somewhere we aren't likely to be seen.'

'How intriguing,' she gave him a big grin and he smiled at the sight of it.

'So be ready in about an hour. Or so,' he added, frowning. 'I'm not sure how long this will take.'

'What are…' Hermione trailed off. She wanted to ask what he was doing and where, but stopped herself. He didn't want to tell her for her own good, and she trusted that this was better for her sanity as well. Draco stopped stroking her hair and gave her a quick peck on the forehead, lifting her with him as he rose to his feet. He carried her to the bed and set her down on it with her head perfectly placed on the pillow.

'Relax. Rest. Tonight will be hell,' he said grimly, and he left. Hermione watched him go, once again, and wondered what she would do with herself, once again.

It was almost three hours before Draco returned at last, but Hermione didn't say a word about it. His expression was the same as always, but Hermione thought that she was getting better at reading it and she could tell that he was worried about something. She didn't ask, though, and resolved to make him have fun with her for the rest of the day.

'So, where are you taking me today?' she asked cheerfully. While he'd been out she had bathed and then wandered over to her own bedroom to search the wardrobe for some clothes respectable enough for the outside world. She was dressed in tight black jeans and a silky blouse, with high boots that were unbelievably shiny in their newness. Rather reluctantly she had pulled out the gorgeous Niffler coat Draco had bought for her and put it on. She'd never been a fan of fur but thought that it would make him happy to see her in it, and right now his need felt greater than hers. She thought she was right about this, as his mood seemed to lift slightly as he took in her outfit.

'Where am I taking you?' Draco repeated, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. 'It's a surprise.'

'We're not flooing?' Hermione asked as he may no movement towards the fireplace, instead hugging her at tightly as he could.

'No, apparating this time.'

'Is it safe for people to be able to apparate in and out of your house as they please?' Hermione wondered aloud as she wrapped her arms around him.

'Only a member of the family can. And you, since I'm taking you with me,' he explained, and with a pop they went.

When Hermione opened her eyes she felt momentarily sick and clutched to Draco tightly.

'It's ok,' he said reassuringly, and slowly Hermione peeled her eyes open and looked around.

They were in a place that she had been to before, but in a distant life. The thin, cobbled streets, which had once been crowded, were now almost deserted and the sky looked ready to rain.

'This is Paris,' she stated. 'The muggle world. I came here once with…with my parents.'

'Is it very different to your memory?' Draco asked, taking in her expression as she surveyed the street.

'Colder,' she said. Her memory of Paris had been its liveliness, its calmness. Now it was almost sad. Draco took her hand tightly and they began to walk.

'It shouldn't have changed too much. We haven't moved very far against it yet.'

'You can feel it though, can't you,' Hermione whispered as they walked past a lone man with a blank stare. 'Dementors?'

'Dementors, spells. It's not so bad, though, you should see Ireland. Well, what used to be Ireland. That's all ours.'

'Ours,' Hermione repeated.

'_His_,' he corrected. 'Now, tell me where you think we can find a silver dress.'

Hermione paused for a moment and noticed the square that they had walked into. More importantly, the names of the shops that were lined up in it. Hermione had never been much into fashion, but even she could recognise the designer names that she was faced with. Years ago, she had stood in this very spot with her mum and ogled at a dress in the window of Dior. Now as she looked in the same window she felt sad, but also lucky that she was again with a person that she loved.

Draco took her from shop to shop, searching for the perfect dress, and Hermione was amazed to see muggles working and shopping, looking slightly sad in the eyes but still completely normal in all other respects. She had imagined the muggle world had been entirely destroyed but here was a piece of it, almost untouched. They left every place with bags full of things, despite her many protests, and soon enough they had plenty of options for the party.

'You actually have muggle money?' she asked quietly as he slipped a large stack of crispy notes across the counter of yet another shop.

'I converted some before I came to get you,' he muttered back.

'You were in a bank?' she said, shocked beyond anything she'd heard so far. He shrugged.

'I didn't think you'd appreciate me robbing all of the shops.'

'I'm touched,' she laughed softly and a shiver went down Draco's spine at the sound of it so softly in his ear.

'I've had enough shopping,' he announced as he gathered all of their bags in his hands and herded Hermione out the door. 'Let's go home and take a bath.'

'I've already had one, thanks,' she said, but grinned mischievously at him over her shoulder.

'Get over here,' he commanded, holding his arms out to her. She went to him and was surrounded by bags as he wrapped her up tightly and prepared to depart. Hermione waited for the nausea to hit but it wasn't so bad this time – she was already getting used to it. A second later they were back in Draco's room and he was dumping their shopping all over the floor. Before Hermione had completely regained her balance he had swept her up and was carrying her into the bathroom…

The level of chatter in the garden was steadily rising by the time that Hermione was finally dressed. Hours in the bath of soaking and doing other things had slipped by before either of them had given a thought to the party, and as Hermione had left the bathroom in good spirits she was almost looking forward to it. Now, she was standing in a stunning silver gown, which was split much too low for her liking, and waiting for Draco to be ready.

'Looks pretty full down there,' she called over her shoulder as she stood by his window and peered down into the grounds. It was mostly a see of the regular black, but she could spot a few funny-looking characters. 'I think I can see your dad, and – no, he's not a hippogriff! Damn!'

'What's the bet he's a vampire?' Draco sniggered from the bathroom where he was apparently still doing his hair. Hermione squinted down at the blonde-haired figure who was surrounded by followers.

'He might actually be in a cape,' she said, laughing at the thought of Lucius with fangs. 'Let's get down there!'

'You actually want to go down?' Draco said cynically, appearing at last in the bedroom. Hermione surveyed him quickly and decided that he looked good, even as Death. He was wearing nothing but black as well as a large cloak that, once the hood was up, would completely conceal his identity. Hermione had a feeling that that was the real reason he had chosen the costume.

'You look…' his eyes travelled over her several times and still he found no more words.

'Like a veela?' Hermione asked sceptically, not really getting how anyone was supposed to understand her costume.

'Hmm…maybe you should wear a different dress,' Draco said frowningly, his eyes resting on her chest.

'I thought you loved showing me off at your parties,' Hermione replied coyly.

'That was before…' he trailed off, but she didn't need him to finish. _Before I meant anything to you_, she finished silently.

'Well, you look amazing,' Draco finished. 'Let's go down.' He put up his hood and his face was completely thrown into shadow before he held out his hand to her. In his other hand he held a scythe, and Hermione didn't want to know where he'd got it from. They took their time getting downstairs, Draco because he wasn't looking forward to the company and Hermione because suddenly her mind was filled with visions of dancing veela from the Quidditch World Cup, and what a fun time she'd had. That was, until the camp had been terrified by the very people whom she was heading towards.

'Pearl!' Narcissa called out as soon as she saw her, drawing immediate attention to the pair of them. Hermione heard Draco groan quietly and move away slightly, so as to stay anonymous beneath his cloak for a little while longer. All eyes had gone to Hermione now, and she felt herself blush as she could never get used to so much attention. They must have arrived quite late because judging by some of the mutterings and looks that she experienced as she moved over to Narcissa, the majority of the guests were already quite drunk.

'You look nice,' Narcissa said politely, glaring over Hermione's shoulder at a particularly bold guest who was dressed as a ghost, apparently.

'So do you,' Hermione tried smiling as best as she could. 'What are you?'

Narcissa sighed and leaned in slightly. 'Nothing, actually. I just wore black like everyone else and no one's noticed I'm not in costume so far. People tend to get a little more drunk than usual on Halloween.'

'I can see that,' Hermione said icily as she turned her back on several men dressed as inferi who could not take their eyes away from her chest. 'I wish I'd done what you had,' she said regretfully, feeling far too in the spotlight yet again.

'Oh, no, it's fun to get dressed up,' Narcissa insisted, despite the fact that she hadn't. 'Where's Draco?'

'Um…' Hermione looked around but she had lost him in all the black cloaks that surrounded them. 'Trying to be inconspicuous, I think.' Her eyes fell onto someone unfortunately familiar who was heading her way. 'Unlike someone else.'

Narcissa turned to see who she was looking at. Seamus Finnigan was approaching them slowly but surely, getting looks from all directions. Ridiculously, he was dressed as a lion, but one that had apparently been beaten and attacked to death. His "fur" was matted with what she hoped was fake blood, and the eyes were completely gone. His arrogant face peeked out from the lion's roaring mouth. As he came to a stop before her she felt such fury boiling inside her at the sight of him.

'What the hell are you supposed to be?' she hissed at him, as Narcissa turned to greet another guest.

'Come on now, Granger, surely you could figure it out,' Seamus grinned at her, looking happy as a maniac. 'I'm the death of Gryffindor, just as Salazar would have wanted it.'

'That is sick,' Hermione looked away in disgust, swearing that she could smell real blood coming from him.

'I thought you'd like it,' he inched closer and she turned to leave but he held her there a moment longer.

'That's a beautiful dress you've got,' he whispered into her ear. 'Where did you get it?'

Her head snapped around to stare at him, but he was already strolling away from her. He hadn't said much, but she'd understood enough from it. She turned desperately to search for Malfoy and found him eventually in a corner, leaning against a tree filled with darkly lit lanterns.

'Seamus is here,' she told him darkly, sliding her body in beside him close enough that she could see beneath his hood. He didn't look happy.

'I know. I was watching. What did he have to say this time?'

'I think he's been following you,' Hermione informed him. Draco's eyes were still watching Seamus from across the garden.

'I know,' he said at last. Hermione reeled.

'You knew? You knew that he was there today?'

'Not specifically today, but I've been suspecting it for a while.'

'Why would he do that? How?' Hermione demanded, feeling completely irked at the thought that someone might be watching her at all times.

'I don't know.'

'Great,' Hermione sighed. 'Nice of you to share that.'

She marched off, feeling irritated by his solemn mood and seeming lack of concern on the issue. She spent the next half hour drinking swirling black cocktails and attempting to smile and answer people's questions as they paid their respects to her – now that she had been established as Draco's girlfriend she was almost as important as he was. Triumphantly she noted that the bitchy women whom Draco had banished were nowhere to be seen. This, along with the cocktails and occasional passing by of an ostentatious costume, had slightly improved Hermione's mood by the time she came across Seamus again. He was only walking by, but on an angry whim she reached out and poked him on the arm. He stopped, looking pleased with himself as always, and chinked his glass to hers.

'Enjoying yourself, I see,' he winked and Hermione glowered.

'Do you really not have anything better to do than follow us around?' she hissed at him. Seamus glanced around quickly to make sure that nobody was listening before replying.

'I can't honestly say that I know what you're talking about,' he said innocently.

'What's the deal with you, are you in love with him or something?' Hermione said scathingly, looking for some kind of sore spot for him.

'No, I leave that bit up to you,' he shot right back with a grin. Hermione glared.

'You're the most pathetic creature at this party.'

'Quite an honour,' his grin increased, and without another word Hermione pushed past him, making sure to bump him as hard as she could. She was striding through slow-moving couples on the dance floor when her arm was grabbed tightly. She spun, expecting Seamus, but it was Draco now with his hood down.

'What are you doing?' he muttered, still keeping a tight grip on his arm.

'What?' she said, feigning an innocent looking similar to the one that Seamus had just given her.

'You're making a scene,' he said, beginning to steer her off the lake and back under the cover of the trees.

'No, I'm not. You are,' she said childishly. Draco pried the cocktail from her hand and threw it carelessly at the base of a tree nearby. A couple that had been kissing against it looked around and quickly took off. Hermione snatched her arm out of his grasp and stood waiting. Draco's brow furrowed as he quickly took in her expression, and he decided that she was well on her way to becoming drunk.

'Stay away from Seamus,' he told her sternly. She laughed at him.

'I think _you_ should stay away from Seamus, I reckon he's got a thing for you,' she retorted. Draco refused to have such a ridiculous conversation.

'No more drinking,' he said, 'And you're staying by my side for the rest of the night.'

Hermione cheered sarcastically as Draco wrapped an arm tightly around her, steering her with him as he moved back into the spotlight. She spent another half hour standing silently beside him as he refused to let go of her, zoning out of the boring conversations he had with what felt like every single guest at the party. She felt herself sober up considerably and was beginning to regret her earlier actions, hoping that she really hadn't made a scene, and looked up at Draco a little sheepishly.

'Everything's ok,' he said before she said anything, and then he was off talking to another boring inferi-dressed man. She felt pretty normal again a little while later and was almost calmed down when everybody fell silent and Lucius Malfoy stepped into the centre of a clear patch of dance floor.

'Friends, welcome to another year of Halloween at our home. Draco and I thank you all for coming. I'm sure you're not in the mood to listen to long speeches, so let's get straight to the traditional entertainment for the night!'

There was a low cheer that rocked the crowd as heads turned expectantly, in search of something. Draco's grip on Hermione tightened and it was like a signal. Through the retreating haze in her mind, she suddenly knew that something was about to happen and she wouldn't like it at all.

And then she saw them, being lowered down from the second-floor balcony. Four house elves, trussed up and looking petrified, were squinting about desperately as they came to a stop several feet from the ground. The crowd parted and Seamus moved out of it, brandishing a large tray that was covered with several foreboding weapons. As the crowd level of chatter rose in anticipation, Lucius smiled and silently held out his hand. Seamus, barely able to hide his glee, thrust the tray into Theodore Nott's hands and selected a classic nine-tails whip, which he handed to Lucius.

Hermione watched all of this in complete stillness, unable to accept what she was seeing before her. As the crowd fell silent she spluttered into motion, but as she tried to step forward Draco held her solidly against his side. She stared up at him in utter astonishment, and for that moment she didn't even recognise him as he looked back at her. He shook his head minutely, clearly telling her to stay put, but she could not accept this. Rage had cleared her head, and later it would register that he had known this was going to happen all along, but for now she had someone else she needed to direct it towards.

'If you don't let go of me right now…' she said. Draco sighed and his grip slackened the tiniest amount. It was all Hermione needed. She detached herself viciously and pushed through unsuspecting guests without a word of apology. Lucius was smiling broadly at his guests and raising his arms as she stormed into his circle. The whip was poised over his shoulder, about to go into motion, when her hand snaked out and grabbed it.

In the deadly silence that followed, Lucius turned slowly to see what the problem was and when he saw her he raised his eyebrows.

'Don't you dare,' Hermione whispered to him, and his expression hardened. 'Don't you dare do that to them.'

'What did you say to me?' Lucius hissed, lowering his arms and standing to his full height. Around them confused voices were rising. Draco moved silently to the front of the crowd, and hand reaching into his pocket to grip his wand. Seamus looked happier than ever.

'Is there a problem, Pearl?' he called loudly, his voice carrying through the crowd. Draco's gaze didn't leave his father and Hermione. 'These vermin not up to entertainment standard?'

Hermione was suddenly aware that the entire crowd was staring at her. She looked away from Lucius, who seemed torn between outrage and awe, and looked around at the confused faces. They didn't seem to have grasped what she had done, but it was slowly dawning on several faces. She thought quickly. Her eyes switched from face to face until she met Narcissa's, and an idea came to mind. With great effort, she let out a carefree laugh and relaxed her stance.

'I was just reminding,' she said, speaking as loudly and calmly as she could, 'dear Lucius here, that…that he has a different surprise for tonight.'

Now people were looking disappointed but Hermione ploughed on quickly. 'He's been so busy lately that he's probably neglected to mention this to any of you, but Lucius and lovely Narcissa have just last week celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.'

There was a smattering of applause, and Hermione pointed out Narcissa, whose stricken face quickly smoothed over as she stonily moved over to join them. Lucius was looking as shocked by this as Hermione had by his surprise, but he too quickly recovered and took his wife by the hand.

'So instead of the usual Halloween celebrations, he was hoping that you would all join him in celebrating this special moment,' Hermione finished breathlessly. With a glance over her shoulder she saw that the elves were quickly being pulled back up out of sight. She looked to Lucius, who didn't miss a beat. He had replaced his whip with a glass of champagne, which he raised high.

'To my wife, Narcissa!' he chanted, and everybody cheered and drank to the pair of them. Hermione, her heart still thudding audibly, stealthily edged herself back into the crowd as the party continued without another moment of hesitation. It was as if nothing had happened, and to them it probably hadn't. She breathed deeply and a trickle of sweat dripped from her neck. One utter disaster had just been averted. But before she slipped away her eyes found Lucius, and he looked at her just long enough for her to understand that this wasn't over. He didn't spare her another moment of attention as he was congratulated by a gathering of sycophantic guests and she melted further away, back towards the house. Her gaze slipped over to Narcissa, who was gazing at her almost in happiness, to Seamus, who raised his glass to her silently, and then to Draco, who was moving toward her. She turned on her heel and quickened her pace, hoping to make it inside before she was disturbed. She made it into the hall before he caught up and spun her around, but she flicked him away and kept walking.

'Hermione, wait!' he ordered, but she kept walking.

'Tell the _vermin_ that my wing is not to be disturbed,' she said without bothering to turn.


	30. The Repriever

Bastard.

That bastard.

It was all Hermione could think. Bastard Lucius for what he had tried to do. Bastard Draco for not telling her. And for standing by while it happened.

She knew honestly that there wasn't really a way that he could have stopped it but she wanted to be mad and it was easier to be mad than try and see his point of view. But he at least could have warned her, and she could…could have what? She wasn't sure, but she just knew that it wasn't right that he hadn't told her.

She lay awake in her own room, stuffing her head beneath her pillow to try and block out the sounds of the rest of the night. It felt like hours before silence finally settled on the property and she could at least try and get a little sleep. She kept expecting to hear footsteps coming down the hall but by the time she fell into a deep sleep she remained undisturbed.

In the morning Hermione got up, still in a grouchy mood, and skipped breakfast entirely to go down to the kitchens. The house elves were delighted to see her and thanked her profusely for what she had done for them. Hermione demanded to know on what other occasions it was considered "tradition" to beat them and was at least a little relieved to hear that Halloween was the only time.

'Master Draco used to do it regularly, but not since you came along,' a tiny female admitted a little half-heartedly, fearing her response. But having already suspected this, Hermione was not altogether surprised.

'And you don't resent serving him? You don't think he should have tried to put a stop to his father doing it since he has?' she asked them. They looked at each other in confusion.

'It is not for Master Draco to tell Sir what to do, just as it is not for us to tell him what to do,' one of them said, and Hermione gave up straight away. She spent hours watching them moodily as they went about their chores, silently in awe of the way that they lived their lives. They went on and on, never missing a beat, never complaining. They couldn't quite be called happy, but that was only because Hermione had seen happiness. If she asked one of them, she was sure that they would believe that they were happy. How did they just accept what they were faced with? In a way, Hermione yearned to be like them. She, too, was a slave with no power, no prospects and no hope. But every day a little part of her resented it, resented everyone, resented herself. What if she just let go of everything she knew and accepted her new life?

But no. It was impossible. Maybe once she could have, but since she had fallen for Draco he had slowly been feeding hope back into her, and it spread like an infection. She reeled at this analogy. Even hope wasn't a good thing to her anymore. But the truth was, hope was the most dangerous feeling. The more you have, the more you have to lose. And as Hermione's life became more human, more "normal", the harder it would be to lose it again. This pessimistic view made her even more depressed, but how could she be any other way? Where could she go from here? Hide inside Pearl forever, forget herself, become one of them? Never.

Saying goodbye to the elves and promising to see them again soon, Hermione trailed back upstairs. She paused by the grand staircase, resisting the urge to go up, and then headed back to her wing. Almost four minutes later she made it to her bedroom door and pushed her way inside, only to find that Draco was waiting for her by the window. He was staring out into the grounds but turned when she entered. Hermione was mad at herself when her heart did its usual flip at the sight of him, but she left the door open pointedly and stalked over to the desk to pour a glass of water.

Seeing what she was doing, Draco followed her to the desk and pried the water jug from her hands. Hermione resisted for a moment but his grasp was much stronger than hers, so begrudgingly she let him have his chivalrous moment and instead headed out onto her terrace to sit down by the brook. Draco appeared a moment later holding out a glass for her, and when she didn't take it immediately he placed it onto the small table beside her. He took a deep breath and Hermione readied herself for a fight.

'Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what was going to happen,' Draco began, and this didn't give Hermione much to work with. She looked up into his face, which was towering above her, and raised an eyebrow. 'But you can't go around pulling stunts like you did last night. That was insane, what you did!'

'And yet everything turned out fine, didn't it?' she replied snidely. Draco shook his head and paced away from her in exasperation.

'My father isn't happy with you,' he said after a moment's pause. 'He's going to want an explanation.'

'I saved his marriage, he should be thankful!' Hermione said, raising her voice angrily. Draco stopped pacing to give her a funny look and she replayed her words quickly in her mind, realising how they must have sounded.

'I hardly think that's true,' he said at long last, more coldly than Hermione liked to hear. She bobbed her head and shrugged.

'No, that was silly what I said. Never mind,' she muttered, reaching for her glass to take a big sip of water. Draco sighed and took the seat on the other side of the table, drumming his fingers across its surface in an aggravating manner.

'I know why you did what you did. But you just…_can't_ do things like that. Ok?'

'I just wished you'd told me,' Hermione said dully, avoiding his gaze by staring at the gently streaming water before her. She saw his head shake out of the corner of her eye.

'It wouldn't have helped you. And you would still have been mad at me, just for different reasons.'

'Hmph,' was all Hermione could think to say. Draco sighed and stood abruptly.

'I have places to be now, so you can just stew on this by yourself,' he said irritably and returned indoors. Hermione blinked for a moment, taken aback by his coldness. His head popped back around the doorframe as she was still sitting, frozen.

'And I hid it from you to protect your feelings, which have been pretty fragile lately. I won't make the same mistake.'

Then he was gone, and Hermione was left feeling sheepish and guilty. When he put it like that it made perfect sense to her…after all, wasn't she keeping a secret of her own to keep him from getting hurt?

Draco did not return that day and Hermione remained reclusive in her sitting room, reading some dull books on the Malfoy family history, which had been sitting on the shelf when she arrived. Apparently they were a standard feature to every room – how lucky for their guests. Her anger had seeped out after her talk with Draco, and now more than ever she felt the urge to confess to him her own knowledge. She wondered how he would take the news of his mother's affair and hoped only that it wouldn't end in death.

But if he had lied to her to protect her feelings, did that mean that Hermione had made the right decision in not telling him? That had been the logic she'd been following so far, but now it just felt like a betrayal. And surely the longer she took to tell him – because Hermione was always a believer in the theory that the greatest secrets always came out eventually – the angrier he would be. If he was honest with her she owed him the same.

Hermione had almost completely resolved herself to telling him the truth that night – but Draco never came home. She had expected that he would come by when he returned, but as the clock strode past midnight Hermione quietly made the journey up to his bedroom. The bed clearly hadn't been slept in and there was no sign of him, so she tried his study instead only to find the door firmly locked and no response to her timid, then demanding knocking. To distract herself from the increased level of guilt and worry that she was feeling Hermione retreated to her favourite room – the library – and stocked up on a large pile of books which would hopefully be more interesting than Malfoy family trees. She carried them back to her wing and tucked herself into bed with a biography of one of Draco's great-uncles who had apparently discovered an ancient rune that had saved an entire rainforest. It was painful to read, and soon she fell asleep.

Hermione didn't see any sign of Draco the following day, or the one after that, but when Tellty came by her room to drop off some fresh towels he insisted that he had seen Master Malfoy in his bedroom early that morning. This news was disheartening to her, as she was sure that he was staying away out of annoyance at her sulky, childlike behaviour. She decided that she wouldn't allow him to hide from her any longer and spent the rest of the day camped out in his room, waiting for his return. She wore nothing but her nightgown and a silky but magically warm dressing gown that was patterned with falling snow.

And sure enough, late that night he finally made an appearance. He came through the fireplace and did not look surprised at the sight of her rugged up in his bed but merely dusted himself off and went to sit at his desk. He didn't say a single word as he carefully wrote out a letter, which he then sealed magically and placed in his top drawer. Then at long last he came over to the bed and sat down beside her, looking at her expectantly. Hermione wasn't quite sure what to say, though, and there was an awkward pause.

'Did you want something, or just to steal my bed for the night?' Draco asked her, an amused expression playing across his face. Like a schoolgirl, Hermione felt her cheeks going red.

'I just wanted to see you. To say…to say sorry for being immature. And to make sure that you came home,' she said feebly, and without being able to help herself she reached out to stroke the back of his hand as it rested on his knee.

'Where else would I be?' was all he said in return, but Hermione took this as an acceptance of her words. He suddenly caught her fingers with his own and held them up to his mouth, running his lips back and forth over them gently.

'Everywhere,' she smiled at him and settled back into the pillows, pulling his arm along with her. Draco let himself be pulled on top of her, careful to hold himself up on one elbow, and buried his face into her neck, inhaling deeply. Hermione held him there, stroking his hair, and waited for him. They stayed like that for a long time until finally he groaned and pushed himself back up.

'I've got some stuff to do down the hall,' he said, standing up. But Hermione jumped out of bed and moved to stand in front of him, placing her hands against his sturdy chest.

'But you just got home and you must be exhausted,' she said soothingly. A tiny voice in her mind whispered to her that tonight wasn't the right time to tell him about Narcissa and Blaise and, cowardly, she agreed with it. It felt like a lifetime since she'd last seen Draco and she wanted to be near him again.

'Just stay with me for a minute,' she whispered to him and he blinked at her slowly through heavily hooded eyes. Without looking away from her he reached down and pulled at the cord that held her dressing gown snugly around her. It fell open and Hermione shivered slightly as her skin was exposed to the cool air of the room. The fireplace had gone out. Draco's eyes travelled down her body, taking in her flimsy white nightgown. Her breasts were clearly outlined against the fabric, the darkness of her nipples easily apparent to him. His eyes were like a physical force on her body and Hermione felt her breathing become laboured beneath his gaze.

Draco's hands went to her waist and held her tightly. Seizing her moment, Hermione walked him back towards the bed and as hard as she could pushed him down on top of it. He tried to pull her down after him but Hermione slapped his hand away playfully, instead taking her time to straddle his waist. His hands moved to caress her thighs, sliding up beneath her gown impatiently. Hermione ripped at his shirt, forcing it open so that she could take in every inch of hard skin beneath it. She leaned down to kiss him and he held her fiercely by the neck, deepening the kiss and increasing Hermione's excitement. His hands continued to sneak up her thighs and he groaned against her mouth when his fingers discovered her nakedness beneath her nightgown. Prying their lips apart Hermione sat up and reached for his belt, scrabbling to touch his thickness as quickly as possible. She was practically panting as she could feel his hardness rubbing against her wrist and she worked furiously to unzip his trousers. Draco aided her just as impatiently, inching himself up slightly to free himself from his confinements, and then cupping her thighs in his itching hands, placing her so that she was perfectly positioned to impale herself on him.

Hermione bit her lip and slowly, ever so slowly, lowered herself onto his waiting staff. He exhaled, not taking his eyes from her face, as she filled herself completely with him. And with his hands still tightly holding onto her thighs she began to rock back and forth on top of him, her hands steadying her against his clenched stomach. It did not take long with her fast, desperate pace and the help of his forceful hands for Hermione to begin a low whining as her g spot was awoken. She moved against him even harder, wanting to reach her peak and bring him to his, and all at once she was bucking on top of him and he was pulling her down so that he could reach her lips, kissing her deeply as he released inside of her. They continued to rock together gently as their shallow breathing slowly became normal and Hermione rested her head against his chest, tracing a pattern over his skin. Draco closed his eyes and a small smile crept over his face as he enjoyed the softness of her touch. Eventually he sighed and gingerly rolled Hermione over, reluctantly prying their bodies loose. He righted her nightgown and tucked her beneath the sheets.

'I'll be back soon,' he promised, doing up his shirt and fixing his fly. Hermione nodded and let her eyes drift shut as she heard him stroll from the room. She had barely drifted off when she heard the door open again and she rolled over to greet him.

'That was quick, I thought…' she trailed off when she saw that it wasn't Draco but Lucius, who was taking in the effect of her curled up half naked in his son's sheets. Hermione sat bolt upright and pulled them right up to her chin, making sure that she was covered.

'Good evening,' Lucius sneered, sauntering closer.

'Dr-Draco's in his study,' she managed to splutter. She didn't like the wolfish grin that had spread across his face. He stopped a metre from the bed and just looked at her for a moment, his eyes trailing over her messy hair and still flushed face.

'And you're just waiting for him to return, are you?' he smirked. Hermione didn't like his tone, but at least he wasn't shouting at her for ruining his party…yet. As though he could hear her thoughts he suddenly stopped smiling and strolled away from her.

'Lucius, I apologise for my actions the other night,' Hermione said, not liking him anymore in his silence. 'It was entirely out of character and not at all my place to interrupt.'

Lucius did not speak, and as his back was to her Hermione wasn't sure of his reception to her words. She gulped and hoped that he hadn't heard it.

'I merely…I mean…well, Narcissa had spoken of your anniversary that morning and it had occurred to me to make a toast to the two of you. But then I forgot and then…and then I remembered and I didn't mean to interrupt you but –'

'That's quite enough,' Lucius said coolly, and she stopped quickly. She waited for him to hand down some punishment to her or for the yelling to begin, but when he turned his head back in her direction she was shocked to see that he was smiling again.

'I like a woman with some nerve,' he said, and Hermione's jaw dropped open.

'What?' she said stupidly. Lucius chuckled as he continued his stroll about the room.

'I accept your apology, Pearl. It was not your place to do what you did but I couldn't help but admire you for it. It's been a long time since a woman – or anyone, actually – dared do such a thing to me.'

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. Lucius…_admired_ her?

'And besides, I _had_ forgotten our wedding anniversary. So you actually helped me out. Narcissa was…_very_ pleased with me,' he smirked at her and Hermione tried not to let her mind imagine his meaning.

'So you're not mad at me?' she asked in disbelief. His face darkened slightly but he held his smile.

'I must command that you don't ever do something of the sort again. You have to remember your position in this family, Pearl, and what your actions reflect upon Draco. But it is his place, not mine, to punish you for your behaviour,' his eyes again took in her scantily clad figure hiding beneath the sheets. 'And by the looks of it I'd say he already has.'

Hermione blushed crimson and Lucius laughed softly before making his exit. Hermione couldn't believe that she had escaped so easily. She could not shake the memory of his face at the party, his eyes boring into hers over his cocktail glass. It didn't feel right…

Hermione flopped back against the pillows and let out a loud shudder. Lucius always did that to her. Draco returned twenty minutes later and didn't seem surprised to see that she was still awake.

'Your father found you, did he?' Hermione said in a falsely cheery voice. He moved around to the other side of the bed and began to undress.

'He did, yes,' Draco frowned at her over his shoulder. 'He seemed in an unusually good mood. What did he say to you?'

'Oh, not a lot. Just something about being impressed by me and the usual crap about me being yours to punish, etcetera…' she said casually. He raised an eyebrow at her.

'What did he really say?' he asked her sternly, now down to his underwear. He pulled back the covers and lay back, pulling her into the gap beneath his arm.

'That's what he said and I'm not joking,' Hermione swore, holding her arm up to gesture her honesty.

'That's…' Draco searched for the word, 'not right.'

'Which part?'

'He didn't yell or anything?'

'No. His most severe moment was to tell me not to do it again. Then he had a laugh over my nighty and sex hair.'

Draco snorted. 'What. Is a _nighty?_'

'This!' Hermione gestured to her nightgown incredulously. 'You never heard that word before?'

'I don't think anyone's heard that word before,' he sniggered at her. She frowned slightly.

'I guess it's just what my mother used to say…' she trailed off and Draco stiffened slightly, feeling her discomfort. Then he reached up to ruffle her hair.

'Well, I like the sex hair. And don't worry about my father. He's just distracted.'

Hermione snuggled down against him and closed her eyes. 'Time for us to sleep. You especially.'

Draco yawned and nodded simultaneously. 'For a little while. Then I have to leave.' Hermione's eyes snapped open and she craned her head up to look at him.

'Leave? You mean…on your "mission"?'

'Yes. I'll be gone for a few weeks. That's all I know.'

Hermione felt like clutching to him like a child. _Don't leave me,_ she wanted to beg.

'I suppose I have your mother for company.'

'And books.' Draco yawned again. Hermione wanted to keep talking to him but he was clearly exhausted so she bit her tongue and let him sleep.

When she awoke a few hours later the bed was still warm but he was gone.

**So this was a bit of a slow chapter but it felt like a good place to end it considering that there's a lot of drama coming up. Thank you for all of your reviews on the last chapter! To address a few questions/comments... **

**How many chapters are left? Can't really say, but looking at my time line and how much more is still to come I could see it getting up to 50 chapters...like I've said before, I reallllly want to finish writing this story, so even though I take a long time to update I will not give up on it. The ending is really special (in my biased opinion) and I can't wait to get there.**

**The 'mudblood camps' is just the nickname that caught on for the camps, but yes there are half-blood witches there as well.**

**If you have other questions feel free to ask in your reviews, I do read them all and I'll answer the ones that I can. I feel so tempted sometimes to go back to the very start of the story and just re-write large chunks of it, when I look at the start compared to where it is now I can't help but cringe at some parts! My biggest regret is chapter 8, The Degrader - when I wrote that the story was leading in a completely different and much more twisted direction than it is now. So I'm very thankful to everyone who is still reading!**

**What's coming next? Perhaps some revelations...but first, _It's Just Me_ coming soon...  
**


End file.
